Priyanka Tiwari
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Suspense crime, Digital Desk : With the Bihar Assembly elections set for 2025, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has kicked off a campaign chastising the RJD for the use of the lantern as an election symbol, associating it with an era of rampant lawlessness and crime in the state.
आरजेडी का लाल-TEN युग ऐसा होता था।#BhulegaNahiBihar pic.twitter.com/WIKRkcAbR5
— BJP Bihar (@BJP4Bihar) June 12, 2025
In a post, former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav was blamed for ruling during the period notorious for rampant kidnappings, organized murders, systemic corruption, rampant extortion, violent dacoity, and unrestrained brutality, which is now derisively called the “Jungle Raj” period.
Lalu Yadav’s Political Legacy Under Scrutiny
As the head of RJD and chief minister of Bihar from ‘90 to ‘97, Lalu Prasad Yadav went on to become the union railway minister under manmohan singh’s uPA government.
The latter half of his tenure as CM was marked with rampant lawlessness and extroardinary level of corruption scandals, most notably the fodder scam. His Jungle Raj image was further strengthened by his criminally affiliated relatives such as Sadhu Yadav and Subhash Yadav.
As journalist Sankarshan Thakur argues in his book “The Making of Laloo Yadav: The Unmaking of Bihar”, Bihar during Lalu’s rule was a state overwhelmed with despair and desensitized to the absence of the rule of law.
RJD's Loss of Power and Political Developments After 2005
The public was furious with the Lalu-Rabri Devi government as it avoided prosecuting rampant criminal activity. Everything came to a head in 2005 when the RJD was voted out and has not secured a full majority in the assembly since.
Amit Shah Wakes up to ‘Jungle Raj’ Nomenclature
Amit Shah, Union Home Minister, has taken to social media to make harsh statements contesting Lalu Yadav’s rule:
"From 1990 to 2005, Lalu Yadav's government defamed Bihar in the country and the world. The fodder scam epitomized that misrule. His government will be remembered as 'Jungle Raj'," said Shah.
As opposed to the RJD era, he mentioned that current CM Nitish Kumar and PM Narendra Modi are focused on development and have made considerable strides on infrastructure, health care, housing, and other welfare schemes.
Bihar Election 2025 Predicted Dates
It is expected that the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections for all 243 seats will be conducted by October or November 2025. With campaigning heating up, it appears the BJP is intent on making “Jungle Raj vs Vikas Raj” one of the major themes of the campaign.
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