Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a pointed appeal to the older generation in Bihar: share with today’s youth the memories of the era of alleged misrule known as “Jungle Raj”, when Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure cast a long shadow over the state. This call comes just hours after the opposition INDIA bloc named Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.
In an address to party workers via the “Mera Booth Sabse Majboot” virtual engagement, Modi stressed the significance of inter-generational memory. He urged BJP supporters: “Invite the elders of your locality to speak to the younger generation and recount the disturbing experiences of the past, so that they do not forget what ‘Jungle Raj’ meant.”
A political flashpoint: “Jungle Raj” and the CM face question
The backdrop to this appeal is the INDIA bloc’s formal announcement on 23 October 2025 that Tejashwi Yadav would be its face for the chief minister’s post in Bihar. In response, Modi framed the contest in stark terms: the electorate, he said, “will not forget for 100 years the era of ‘Jungle Raj’” and must guard against its return.
The term “Jungle Raj” has become shorthand for a period of alleged lawlessness, corruption and lack of governance under Lalu Prasad Yadav’s 15-year rule in Bihar. Modi lauded the current coalition’s efforts in making Bihar “proud of itself” and claimed that the progress of those years would not be reversed.
Why elders matter in the narrative
Modi’s call to elders is strategic. Younger voters—many born after or during those years—may lack direct memory of the past or the infamous “Jungle Raj”. By positioning older voters as custodians of history, the campaigning aims to link past grievances with the present electoral choice. One part of his speech appealed to women voters as well, contrasting the earlier regime’s alleged suppression of women with the current government’s social-welfare initiatives for girls and women.
What the opposition sees
The INDIA bloc, which brought together the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Indian National Congress and other smaller parties, has defended Tejashwi Yadav’s nomination as a united decision reflective of inclusive leadership. The Congress emphasised that the bloc “is not a one-man show but a people’s alliance built on mutual respect and inclusive representation.” Nevertheless, analysts noted that the decision also exposes the opposition to attack, giving the BJP ready ammunition to target old controversies and corruption cases associated with Lalu and his family.
The Electoral Stakes
With the Bihar assembly polls approaching (scheduled in two phases: 6 & 11 November, results 14 November), the race is positioned as more than a typical state contest—it’s being pitched as a referendum on governance, law and order, and social justice in Bihar. Modi’s messaging bolsters this narrative: his appeal to remember “Jungle Raj” sets the election as a choice between “progress” and a feared regression.
For the opposition, the unity of the INDIA bloc and clarity in leadership (through Tejashwi’s nomination) is a tactical advantage. But the baggage of the past — especially corruption allegations tied to the RJD era — remains a liability.
What comes next
In the coming campaign weeks, expect the BJP to emphasise stories of alleged lawlessness, “Jungle Raj” without fail, misgovernance and corruption from the Lalu period, and use them to contrast with its own development narrative. Meanwhile, the opposition will try to shift focus to unfulfilled governance promises, cast the election in terms of representation and inclusion, and argue that the returning narrative of “Jungle Raj” itself is being resurrected for political purposes.
As the PM asked the youth of Bihar to seek out and listen to the elders’ stories, the political battle becomes one over memory and meaning: what those earlier years looked like, and how deeply they inform the state’s future direction.
