Modi reaches out to Bihar ahead of assembly polls

Ahead of Bihar assembly elections later this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that for the nation to progress, it was essential that eastern India, including the state, caught up with the western parts of the country

He called for an end to caste-based politics.

At a function here to mark the golden jubilee of poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar's great works - 'Sanskriti ke chaar adhyaay' and 'Parshuram ki pratiksha' - Modi invoked Dinkar to call for an end to caste-based politics and work towards development of the eastern parts of the country.

He recalled a letter written by Dinkar in 1961 in which the poet had emphasized that his native state of Bihar must forget caste-based divisions and work towards a merit-based society, an official release said.

"You cannot rule with the help of one or two castes... if you do not rise above caste, Bihar's social development will suffer," Modi said quoting Dinkar's letter.

Noting that while west India has prosperity, the eastern part has wisdom, the prime minister said the two regions of the country can have an equal share in development of the country.

He described 'rashtrakavi' (national poet) Dinkar as a great visionary.

He said Dinkar's poems, which were once memorized by thousands, assimilated India's heritage and culture, and were the best way to understand the essence of the country.

Modi said Dinkar's works have continued to inspire generations of India. "There are very few creations which stand the scrutiny of time the way Dinkar's writing has," he observed.