New Delhi, Nov 8 (PTI) With Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigning in Bihar's Sitamarhi on Saturday, the Congress targeted his government saying it was an insult to Bihar's faith, cultural pride and Mithila's identity to say that there is no historical evidence of Goddess Sita's birth in Sitamarhi.

Posing several questions to the PM just before he reached Bihar, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh asked whether Modi would publicly apologise before stepping onto the sacred soil of Sitamarhi.

He also accused the prime minister of "step-motherly" treatment and discrimination towards Bihar by not setting up a textile park there and cancelling the Motihari-Shivhar-Sitarmarhi rail link.

"Even after 20 years of NDA rule, when the Prime Minister sets foot on Bihar's soil, all he remembers for Biharis is guns, sixers, and bullets '” but when it comes to Bihar's development, all he has are heaps of fake promises and deceit," he said in a post in Hindi on X.

Ramesh said today, the prime minister is arriving in Sitamarhi and Bettiah and three direct questions to him regarding the discrimination and neglect faced by Bihar.

He said the central government announced the creation of seven mega textile parks across the country under the PM-MITRA scheme in 2021-22, but in May 2023, seven states were selected and these did not include Bihar.

"Even though Textile Minister Giriraj Singh, notorious for his communal statements, hails from Bihar itself - still, he couldn't secure even a single textile park for his own state.

"During the elections, the NDA's manifesto claimed that by developing the Mithila Textile Park and Ang Silk Park, Bihar would be turned into South Asia's textile hub. But the truth is that in a written response in the Lok Sabha in February 2025, the Ministry of Textiles stated: 'No proposal from Bihar for PM-MITRA has been approved, and there is no such plan until 2027-28'," the Congress leader claimed.

He said the state government has also admitted that it sent a proposal to the Ministry of Textiles on December 10, 2024, for reconsideration to establish a PM-MITRA park in West Champaran but the central government has taken no action on it till date.

"The question to the prime minister is: Why this step motherly treatment and discrimination toward Bihar?" he asked.

Ramesh said on April 12, 2017, in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP government stated: "There is no historical evidence of Mother Sita's birth in Sitamarhi" and this response was given by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

"This statement is a direct insult to Bihar's faith, Mithila's identity, and cultural pride," the Congress leader alleged.

He claimed the Congress government had, between 2011-2013, planned to develop Bihar's major religious sites, including Sitamarhi-Punoura Dham, into religious-tourism heritage under the Ramayana Circuit.

"But under the BJP government: PRASHAD scheme (2015) - Not a single rupee allocated for Sitamarhi. Swadesh Darshan (2014) - even though it included in the Ramayana Circuit, Sitamarhi was neglected.

"The question to the prime minister is: When your own government insulted Bihar's faith in Parliament -- will you publicly apologise before stepping onto the sacred soil of Sitamarhi today? Why is there no interest from you in preserving and developing Bihar's religious sites?" Ramesh asked.

He also claimed that the Motihari-Shivhar-Sitamarhi rail line project was cancelled, even though people in this region have been demanding this rail line for years. It was announced in the budget, headlines were made, but on August 7, 2024, the Ministry of Railways quietly cancelled the project, citing low traffic projections, he noted.

Noting that Sitamarhi is a religious and cultural centre and a strategically important area connected to the International Border, he asked, "Then why was this project given low priority? What is the fault of Sitamarhi's people? Will the prime minister give them an answer?" "The people of Bihar have been enduring the false promises and continuous discrimination from this BJP-JDU 'trouble-engine' government's 20-year rule. This time, Bihar will vote for change. It will vote to remove the NDA from power," Ramesh claimed.

Assembly elections in Bihar are underway and the second phase of polling would be held on November 11. The first phase of polling was held on November 6. The counting of votes would take place on November 14. PTI SKC SKY SKY