People will never trust Rahul, Congress won’t return to power: Kiren Rijiju

Patna: Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said the people of the country would never trust Rahul Gandhi or allow Congress to return to power.

He was responding to Rahul’s remark that “PM Narendra Modi is terrified and compromised”. Speaking in Patna before attending a function at the Bihar legislative assembly for the launch of National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) in the lower House, Rijiju said, “During 60 years of Congress rule, the country was weakened so much that it will not get another chance. By making such light statements and drama, Rahul only wants to grab headlines and stay in the news; nothing will come of it. Under the leadership of PM Modi, India has moved far ahead.”




He said Bihar was the first state to introduce the digital NeVA platform in 2021 under PM Modi’s vision of ‘One Nation, One Application’.

Later, addressing a press conference, Rijiju accused the opposition of creating chaos in Parliament. He said 40-50 opposition MPs had stormed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s chamber and spoken “in a nasty way” ahead of the PM’s scheduled address.

“I was present inside the Speaker’s chamber when the exchange took place, and it was therefore decided that it would be better if the PM did not come to the Lok Sabha. Later, he spoke in detail in the Rajya Sabha,” Rijiju said.

Referring to the 2026-27 Union Budget, Rijiju said several schemes had been announced for the development of northeastern states, including Bihar. “PM Modi has left no stone unturned in fulfilling the needs of Bihar. The future of northeast India rests on Bihar. Emphasis has been placed on employment for the youth of Bihar,” he said.

He added that the Budget focuses on rural employment, women’s empowerment and infrastructure development. “A large sum — approximately Rs12.50 lakh crore — has been allocated for infrastructure development,” he said.

Rijiju said Bihar would benefit from corridor express highways, railway corridors, the Buddha Circuit and other tourism circuits. “This Budget also aims to develop smaller cities as growth engines. The highest number of such cities are in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,” he said.

On the demand for a special package, he said, “When everything is being provided, what is the need for a package? Bihar is almost complete in terms of infrastructure. Now the focus is on employment generation.”

Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi felicitated Rijiju. BJP national co-media incharge and MLC Sanjay Mayukh and state media incharge Danish Eqbal were also present.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Valentine's day wishes, messages and quotes !