Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday launched a fierce attack on the Mahagathbandhan, warning that a victory for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress would push Bihar back into an era of “mafia rule and lawlessness.”

Addressing a public rally in Siwan in support of BJP candidate Mangal Pandey, Adityanath said the people of Bihar must choose between development and disorder. “Those who created an identity crisis in Bihar, those who forced people in Siwan to live under fear, we won’t let them come to power again. This is a battle of identity and a battle to reinstate the golden age in Bihar. India will develop only if Bihar becomes developed,” he said.

Drawing parallels between opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the Chief Minister said, “Like mafia are associates of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, they are associates of the RJD and Congress in Bihar.”

Adityanath accused the RJD of plunging Bihar into “complete anarchy” during its 15-year rule, claiming that Lalu Prasad Yadav’s government had created an “identity crisis” for the youth. He further alleged that the Congress, which he called “heirs to the British,” had historically hindered Bihar’s progress and deepened the crisis initiated by the RJD.

Highlighting the developmental work under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Adityanath said, “In 2014, PM Modi started leading India… Under PM Modi and Nitish Kumar, development is taking place in Bihar. Why didn’t RJD develop Bihar under its 15-year rule?”

He warned that if the RJD-Congress alliance returned to power, it would end welfare schemes such as free ration for the poor and deprive youth of job opportunities. “They will bring back mafia rule in Siwan and the rest of Bihar,” Adityanath asserted.