PM Modi Bihar Visit: Two Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLAs, Vibha Devi and Prakash Veer, were seen seated at the back of the stage during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address in the poll-bound state on August 22, drawing attention from the political circles and fueling speculations of a possible shift ahead of the Assembly Elections.

PM Modi held a massive rally in Bihar’s Gayaji, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 13,000 crore in the poll-bound state.

Vibha Devi’s husband, former RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav, was recently acquitted by the Patna High Court in a POCSO case. Vibha Devi was elected as a member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly from the Nawada constituency in 2020. He has reportedly been upset with RJD as the party denied a ticket to his family in the 2024 General Elections. Vibha’s brother, Binod Yadav, contested as an Independent from the Nawada seat after quitting RJD.

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Prakash Veer, who is serving his second term from a Rajauli constituency, is said to have strained ties with the RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, news agency PTI reported. Their presence at the event sparked speculations and drew attention from the political parties.

BJP Responds To The Speculation

Responding to the political flutter, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Vivek Thakur told NDTV that everyone was invited to the event. “The fact of the matter is that various departments were involved. There were a lot of projects that were inaugurated. So in that, all MLAs, MLCs, MPs - irrespective of their party affiliations - were invited. Those who didn't turn up were largely from the Opposition alliance, and those who did turn up also had associations. So people are raising this whole issue,” NDTV quoted Thakur as saying.

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He further stated that representatives from various departments were invited, and some leaders did not turn up as they opposed the Prime Minister’s presence. “The governor was there, even the local MP of Jehanabad - an RJD member - was present, and even CPM members were invited. It's only a question of who turned up and who didn't. Some didn't turn up because they had an opposition to the presence of the Prime Minister,” he added.