The popular Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Nitish Kumar ji, Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary ji and Vijay Kumar Sinha ji, other distinguished guests, and my lakhs of sisters from Bihar who are present at this program — my respectful greetings to you all.

I am watching on the television screen in front of me, and I can see lakhs of sisters. Perhaps, in every village of Bihar this has become a huge celebration — such a remarkable sight in itself. What greater fortune in life can there be to receive the blessings of so many mothers and sisters?

Friends,

On this auspicious Tuesday, a very auspicious beginning is being made. Today, the mothers and sisters of Bihar are receiving a new facility — the Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh. With this, the sisters associated with Jeevika in every village will now be able to access money more easily; they will receive financial support. This will greatly help them in expanding the work and businesses they are engaged in. And I am especially glad to see that the Jeevika Nidhi system is entirely digital. This means there is no need to approach anyone — all tasks can be completed through the phone itself. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the mothers and sisters of Bihar for this Jeevika Sahkari Sangh. And for this remarkable initiative, I also warmly appreciate Shri Nitish ji and the NDA government of Bihar.

Friends,

A ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India) rests on the strong foundation of empowered women. And to empower women, it is very important to reduce every type of difficulty from their lives. That is why we are making multifaceted efforts to ease the lives of mothers, sisters, and daughters. We have built crores of toilets for women so that they are freed from the compulsion of open defecation. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, we have constructed crores of permanent houses, while also ensuring that whenever possible, the houses are registered in the name of women. When a woman becomes the owner of a house, her voice carries greater weight.

Mothers and sisters,

To end the crisis of clean drinking water, we launched the Har Ghar Jal Yojana. We started the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which provides free medical treatment up to 5 lakh rupees, so that mothers and sisters do not face difficulties in getting treatment. The central government is also running the free ration scheme today. This scheme has freed every mother from the worry of how to feed her children each day. To increase women’s income, we are making them Lakhpati Didis, Drone Didis, and Bank Sakhis. All these initiatives are a great sacred mission of service to mothers and sisters. And today I assure you through this program that the NDA government of Bihar is going to accelerate this campaign even further in the coming months.

Friends,

Bihar is that sacred land where the respect for ‘Matru Shakti’, the respect for the mother, has always been paramount. Here, people worship Ganga Maiya, Kosi Maiya, Gandaki Maiya, Punpun Maiya. And we all proudly say that Goddess Janaki is a daughter of this land. Brought up in the culture of Bihar, this very Siya Dhiya became revered as Mother Sita in the world. By bowing before Chhathi Maiya, we all feel blessed. In just a few days, the holy festival of Navratri will begin. Across the country, people will worship the nine forms of Goddess Durga. But in Bihar and the Purvanchal region, along with Navdurga, there is also a tradition of Satbahini Puja — the worship of seven sisters as divine forms of the Mother, a tradition that reflects Bihar’s deep faith and devotion to the Mother. It has rightly been said about mothers: अपने  सुखल-पाकल खाके, रखली सबके भरम बचा के, उनकर रोवां जे दुखाई, त भलाई ना होई, केहू कतनो दुलारी, बाकि माई ना होई। (She eats little, lives with hardship, but protects everyone’s honour; if her children are hurt, nothing feels right; no matter how loving others may be, no one can take the place of a mother.)

Friends,

For our government, the dignity of mothers, their respect, and their self-esteem are a top priority. A mother is our world, a mother is our pride. What happened just a few days ago in this Bihar of rich traditions — I could never have imagined it, nor could any of my brothers and sisters of Bihar, nor any person in Bharat. From the stage of RJD and Congress in Bihar, abuses were hurled at my mother. These insults were not just an insult to my mother, but an insult to every mother, sister, and daughter of this nation. I know how deeply it must have hurt all of you — every mother, every daughter, every brother of Bihar. I know that the pain I carry in my heart is the same pain my people of Bihar feel. And that is why today, when I see lakhs of mothers and sisters gathered before me, when I feel your presence, I too am simply a son. When so many mothers and sisters are standing before me, my heart compels me to share my sorrow with you so that I will find the strength to endure this pain with your blessings.

Mothers and sisters,

You all know that I have been engaged in the service of society and the nation for nearly 50–55 years. I came into politics much later. Before that, whatever little I could do for society, I tried to do. Every day, every moment, I have worked with full dedication and effort, wherever and whenever I could for my country and my countrymen. And in all this, my mother’s blessings, my mother’s role, has been immense. I had to serve Mother India, and for that, the mother who gave birth to me freed me from her own expectations and responsibilities.

My mother blessed me by saying, “Son, go, serve the crores of mothers of this country, serve the poor of this nation.” It was with those blessings of my mother that I set out on this path. And that is why today, I feel so much pain — the very mother who gave me her blessings for national service, who sent me off to serve the country. Every mother wishes that her son would serve her, that her son would do something for her as he grows. But instead of asking for herself, my mother let me go so that I could serve crores of mothers like you. You all know that my mother is no longer in this world. Some time ago, at the age of 100, she departed from us. That mother of mine, who had nothing to do with politics, who is not even physically present anymore — that mother was abused with the most vile language from the platform of RJD and Congress. Mothers and sisters, I can see your faces — you must have felt so much pain too. I can see tears in the eyes of some of the mothers. This is deeply saddening, hurtful, and painful. What fault, what crime was my mother’s, that she should be subjected to such insults?

Friends,

Every mother raises her children with immense sacrifice. Every mother sitting here before me has raised her children with the same dedication and sacrifice. For a mother, nothing is greater than her children. I too saw my mother in that very role from my childhood. Despite living in poverty and enduring many hardships, she raised our family, all of us brothers and sisters. I remember, before the rainy season, my mother would prepare the house to ensure the roof would not leak, so that her children could sleep peacefully. She would fall ill, but never let us know — she would keep working, going out for work. She knew that if she rested even for one day, her children would suffer. She would not even let my father know the full extent of her difficulties. She never bought a new sari for herself; instead, she saved every single paisa to ensure clothes for her children. And though I speak of my own mother, I know there are crores of mothers in my country who live such lives of sacrifice. The mothers and sisters sitting before me too have endured the same hardships. A poor mother spends her entire life toiling, so that her children may get an education, good values, and a better future. That is why the place of a mother is considered even higher than that of gods and ancestors. This is also the tradition of Bihar. Every Bihari often says: “The place of a mother is above even the gods and forefathers. For the sake of her children, she lives like a divine shadow, raising them with love, enduring pain herself while showing the world a smiling face. Without a mother, no life can ever flourish. That is why a mother is truly great!”

That is why, friends,

The abuses hurled from the Congress–RJD platform were not just directed at my mother. Those vile insults were hurled at crores of mothers and sisters.

Friends,

The sacrifice of a poor mother, the pain of her son — these are things the princely heirs born in royal families can never understand. These so-called elites are born with silver and gold spoons in their mouths. They believe that the power of the country and of Bihar is their family inheritance. They think the chair of authority should belong to them alone! But you — the people of this great nation — blessed the hardworking son of a poor mother and made him the ‘Pradhan Sevak’ (chief servant of the people). And this is something the elites cannot digest. Congress has never been able to tolerate when someone from the backward or most backward sections moves ahead. They feel it is their right as elites to insult hardworking people. And that is why they shower abuses one after another.

Mothers and sisters,

You must have heard it too and you must have read it as well — the kind of abuses they have hurled at me. The list is very long, and none of their senior leaders have stayed behind when it comes to insulting me. This hatred, this arrogance of the elites, always bursts out in the form of abuse against a hardworking man. Sometimes they call me low-born, sometimes a worm of a dirty drain, sometimes a venomous snake. And just recently, you would have heard during the Bihar election rally as well, they addressed me with the crudest of words, with abuse after abuse — once again exposing their elitist mind-set. And because of this very mind-set, now they have stooped so low as to abuse even my late mother, who is no longer in this world, who had nothing whatsoever to do with politics. Yet, from their stage, even she was not spared.

Friends,

The mind-set that abuses mothers, that abuses sisters, considers women to be weak. This mentality treats women as objects of exploitation and oppression. That is why, whenever such an anti-women mind-set has come to power, it is the mothers, sisters, daughters, and women who have had to suffer the most. And who would understand this truth better than my mothers and sisters of Bihar! During the era of RJD, when crime and criminals were unchecked in Bihar, when murder, extortion, and rape had become commonplace — the RJD government used to protect killers and rapists. And who had to bear the brunt of that regime the most? It was the mothers, daughters, and sisters of Bihar, the women of Bihar. Women were not safe stepping outside their homes. They had no assurance that their husbands or sons would return alive in the evening. Families lived in fear of being destroyed any day. They feared they might have to sell their jewellery for ransom, that some mafia might abduct them from their homes, that their marital life could be shattered overnight. Every woman lived in this constant terror! Bihar has fought a long struggle to come out of that darkness. And the women of Bihar played a very significant role in removing RJD from power, in defeating them again and again. That is why, today, whether it is RJD or Congress, these people are furious especially at you women. Every woman in Bihar must understand their intentions. They want revenge against you. They are waiting for an opportunity to punish you.

Friends,

Parties like RJD have never wanted women to move forward. That is why they strongly opposed women’s reservation. And when a woman from a poor household rises, their frustration becomes visible again. That is why Congress continuously insults the country’s President, Droupadi Murmu ji, a daughter from a poor tribal family.

Friends,

It is necessary to put a stop to this politics of hatred and contempt towards women. The people of this nation must think carefully — what kind of language is being used?

Mothers and sisters,

Twenty days from today, the festival of Navratri will begin. And fifty days from now, we will celebrate Chhath Puja in reverence of Chhathi Maiya. Before the people of Bihar, I want to say to those who insult mothers: Modi may forgive you once, but the soil of Bharat has never tolerated the insult of a mother. That is why RJD and Congress must seek forgiveness from Satbahini and from Chhathi Maiya.

Friends,

I also want to say to the people of Bihar — it is the responsibility of every son of Bihar to hold these offenders accountable for this insult. Wherever RJD–Congress leaders go, whichever street or city they enter, they should hear one voice from all sides. Every mother and sister must step forward and demand an answer from them. And from every street and neighbourhood, there should be one resounding voice: “We will not tolerate, we will not tolerate insults to mother. We will not tolerate, we will not tolerate attacks on our honour. We will not tolerate, we will not tolerate RJD’s oppression. We will not tolerate, we will not tolerate Congress’s assault. We will not tolerate, we will not tolerate insults to mother.”

Friends,

The empowerment of women in our country is the highest priority of our government. The NDA government is constantly working to reduce the difficulties in their lives. And mothers and sisters, I promise you — we will continue to serve you tirelessly, without pause. Please continue to bless the NDA government with your support. As I bow to every mother of the nation, I recall once again a prayer. On 15th August, a chant echoed through every street and every village — “Ghar Ghar Tiranga, Har Ghar Tiranga” (The Tricolour in every home). Now the demand of the time is — “Har Ghar Swadeshi, Ghar-Ghar Swadeshi” (Every home self-reliant, every home Swadeshi). Mothers and sisters, to make Bharat truly self-reliant, I need your blessings for this new mantra: Har Ghar Swadeshi, Ghar-Ghar Swadeshi. I will also tell every shopkeeper — put up a board with pride, display it with honour: “This is Swadeshi, this is Swadeshi.” We must march firmly on the path of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. And this journey cannot be completed without the blessings of mothers and sisters. The bright future of Maa Bharati cannot be achieved without your blessings. And you know well, what have these elites been saying? They have gone so far as to even question — “Who is Bharat Mata? What is Bharat Mata?” For those who abuse Bharat Mata, abusing Modi’s mother is an easy thing. And that is why it is very important for the people to recognize such individuals.

Mothers and sisters,

When I see lakhs of mothers and sisters before me, I pray that your blessings always remain upon me. Standing before so many mothers and sisters, the pain I was carrying inside me naturally poured out in front of you. Mothers and sisters, it is through your blessings that I will find the strength to endure such pains. But when a mother, who has left her body and departed, who never took anything from anyone, who had nothing to do with politics — when such a mother is abused, the pain becomes unbearable, the anguish becomes intolerable. And that is why, mothers and sisters, my grief came before you today — not as a leader, but as a son — and it simply flowed out. I have full faith that your blessings will give me the strength to withstand every injustice, and to overcome every injustice, they will give me new energy and new inspiration to serve the mothers and sisters of this nation. With these words, I conclude. I offer my heartfelt thanks to all of you.

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MJPS/VJ/VK