Union home minister Amit Shah celebrated the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly known as JP, at his native village Sitab Diara in the Saran district of Bihar on Tuesday, attacking the political opponents in the state for ditching the stalwart leader’s socialist ideology for the sake of power.

Shah also used the opportunity to canvas for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2025 state polls in the state.

“The leaders who emerged from the JP’s movement by taking his name, are now sitting in the lap of the Congress only for the sake of power. Today people who have changed sides five times are the chief minister of the state,” Shah said while launching a scathing attack on the present ruling dispensation in Bihar.

The Union home minister was addressing a public meeting at Sitab Diara after unveiling a 15-feet-high statue of JP and announcing a research centre to carry forward his principles of rural development and ‘Sarvodaya’ (all-round of everybody).

Jayaprakash Narayan Twitter/@HardeepSPuri

Asserting that this was not the politics of the principles of JP or the path shown by him, Shah pointed out that the socialist leader did not do anything for the sake of power in his life.

“The people of Bihar have to decide whether they want the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that treads on the path shown by JP or the coalition that deviated from his path for the sake of power,” Shah said.

The minister also asserted that Modi was fulfilling JP’s dreams of casteless society and was working for the uplift of the standard of living of 60 crore people in the country. He also remembered the life and works of the leader, including his agitation against the Congress and the Emergency.

Union ministers Nityanand Rai, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal and several senior leaders including, Sushil Kumar Modi, Radha Mohan Singh, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Janardhan Singh Sigriwal were present on the occasion.

Adityanath, while speaking on the occasion, attacked the Grand Alliance government in Bihar and asserted that corruption and criminalisation of politics have hindered development in Bihar. He also said that the lack of development and opportunities has led to the migration of people from the state.

Sitab Diara falls in the riverine areas of the Ghagghar river and parts of it come under the Balia district of Uttar Pradesh.

This was Shah’s second visit to Bihar within a month. His public meeting at Sitab Diara is being seen in various circles as a part of the BJP’s attempts to use the name of top political personalities of modern India for its own gains. Jayaprakash Narayan comes in the same league as Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel and others.

Moreover, the name of JP, who was a staunch advocate of probity, transparency and honesty in public life and in the government, could be suitably used by the BJP to mount attacks against Nitish and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad.

Besides, the people of Bihar have a soft corner for the socialist leader, who still resides in their thoughts and whose fabled exploits right from the freedom movement to the agitation against the Emergency have become a part of the folklore.

Meanwhile, Nitish paid tributes to JP in Patna and then flew to Nagaland to attend a programme at Dimapur organised by an association of the people of Bihar in his memory. JP had spent around three years from 1964 onwards in Nagaland, touring it to promote peace.