Amit Shah raps RJD for fielding Shahabuddin's son Osama Shahab for Bihar polls in Siwan

Amit Shah at Siwan rally (Courtesy: PTI)

At a rally in Bihar’s Siwan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a fierce attack on the RJD for nominating late Shahabuddin’s son, Osama Shahab, as its candidate from the Raghunathpur assembly seat. Calling the people of Siwan “brave,” Shah praised them for never bowing down before the once-feared Shahabuddin.

“For 20 years, A-category history sheeter Shahabuddin, with around 75 cases against him, two jail terms, triple murders, an attack on an SP... he had bathed the sons of a business owner in acid till their skins came off. The brave people of Siwan never surrendered before Shahabuddin,” Shah told the crowd, recalling the former RJD leader’s criminal past.

Continuing his sharp criticism of the opposition, the senior BJP leader said, “Shahabuddin’s son has been given a ticket by Lalu Prasad Yadav himself from Raghunathpur.” Shah asserted that under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, law and order in Bihar had transformed.

“Now, under the rule of Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi, even if a 100 Shahabuddin come, no one can do you any harm,” he said.

The RJD’s decision to field Osama Shahab, son of the late Siwan strongman, has sparked political controversy, with Shah using it to underline what he called the difference between past lawlessness and the current administration’s governance.

Earlier in the day, criticising the RJD's 'jungle-raj' in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government transformed the "jungle raj" into "good governance" and now the time has come to transform "good governance" into "prosperity" across Bihar.

Addressing the public rally in Begusarai, PM Modi said, "We transformed 'jungle raj' into good governance. Now the time has come to transform good governance into prosperity. I have come to seek your blessings for Bihar's prosperity... It was the month of October 2005, when you freed Bihar from jungle raj and chose good governance... You must understand the power of your vote, and your vote will determine Bihar's prosperity."

Polling for the Bihar elections 2025 will take place on November 6 and 11. The results will be announced on November 14.