Mr Paswan attached his party recently to the national coalition led by the BJP
BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is addressed a rally at Muzaffarpur in Bihar today. The party's newest ally Ram Vilas Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party is also present.
Here are the highlights: Ram Vilas Paswan speaks:- My son is also present here. He won't speak, he's here to seek your blessings.
- There's huge turnout here at the rally. I thank all of you.
- I see this huge turnout as commitment to ensure Narendra Modi and the BJP wins in national elections
- There are two Indias: those who make shoes don't have any for themselves; many people sleep hungry
- We are here to wipe your tears. Mr Modi, who himself is born in a poor family, understands your emotions.
- Forget caste-based politics, chose those who do development based politics
- Chirag and you are the next generation
- Ram Vilas Paswan was a good man till he was with them (NDA). As soon I broke away, I became a bad man.
- Events happen, riots happened in Gujarat 12 years ago, nothing since then. But here in Bihar they happen every year.
Narendra Modi speaks:
- I came to Patna on Oct 27 and the way Bihar welcomed me, I consider this my honour
- But multiple blasts rocked the city leaving many injured
- But these injuries were just on Bihar, it was on the whole country
- These injuries were an assault on the unity of the country
- The people of Bihar are determined. Even after such a big incident, the people of the state demonstrated unity, peace and brotherhood.
- Without peace and unity, India can't progress
- I don't care if lives of BJP leaders are threatened
- People may be opposed to BJP or Modi but why were innocent people targetted?
- Those who died were my brothers and sisters from Bihar but those indulging in vote-bank politics can't understand this
- Wishes George Fernandes well: 'I pray he regains his health soon'
- They are busy trying to find a solution to Modi. This mindset can't benefit the country.
- The NDA is expanding, I welcome Ram Vilas Paswan and Chirag Paswan into our family
- And with our growth, the worries of others is also growing
- They are astounded that the BJP which they had dubbed as the 'bania-brahman' party ha a backward caste person as its PM candidate
- What is this Third Front? Most of them have supported the Congress. In public life there is no space for hypocrisy
- I must say for Ram Vilas Paswan - even after he walked out of the NDA, where ever he met us, it was a cordial exchange
- He was never afraid when newspapers published his photographs (with BJP leaders) the next day
- And there are some leaders who will be cordial behind closed doors but uncomfortable in public
- Now it has become fashionable to blame communal forces, no matter what you say, they'll say there is a risk to secularism
- Can say with pride that only the BJP governments have been at the forefront of implementing 20-point programmes, working for the poor
- No Congress government has been effective in implementation of pro-poor programmes and these so-called Third Front parties Don't seem to be interested in such work at all