Prime Minister Narendra Modi praises the good work of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in ensuring the supply of clean water in the villages.
The prime minister’s backing comes at a time when there have been reports of a rift between NDA allies JD (U) and LJP ahead of the elections in Bihar.
- News18.com
- Last update: September 13, 2020 2:37 PM IST
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday gave his seal of approval to Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the face of the NDA ahead of elections in the state, saying Kumar had a “very important role” to play in doing advance Bihar on the path of progress. .
Dedicating three oil sector projects in Bihar worth more than 900 million rupees to the nation, PM Modi said, “We must ensure ‘sushasan’ (good governance) in Bihar. The good work done in the last 15 years must continue ”. He added that the prime minister has “played an important role in our goal towards a New India, New Bihar.”
Without naming the opposition RJD or its leader LaluPrasad, and the party ally Congress, Modi blamed the state’s backwardness on a mindset that made them scoff at economic progress and thought that lip service was enough when it came to improving. to the poor. Bihar has long been plagued by a peculiar mentality. The road projects were frowned upon and people often asked what they have to offer to those who walk on foot and do not have vehicles, Modi said in an evening reference to Prasad.
Such disregard for progress also took its toll on higher education. But the last 15 years have been sushasan. The infrastructure has improved. New institutes of medicine and engineering, institutes of law and polytechnics have emerged. NitishKumar has a very important role to play in ensuring that the process continues, he said.
Once considered archrival, Kumar withdrew from the alliance with the BJP in 2013 when Modi, who was then the prime minister of Gujarat, was named the NDA’s prime ministerial candidate.
The prime minister’s backing comes at a time when there have been reports of a rift between NDA allies JD (U) and LJP ahead of the elections in Bihar. Sources said that several LJP leaders were against participating in the elections under Nitish Kumar’s leadership, as they were upset by his mishandling of the Covid-19 situation, floods, migration crisis, and employment issues. in the state. As for the JD (U), party members say the dispute with LJP is over the distribution of seats before the elections.
The source said that Chirag Paswan intends to contest at least 43 seats in the assembly elections, but Bihar CM is not willing to give up more than 25-30 seats to the LJP.
The LJP, which fought in the 2015 assembly elections with the BJP as an allied partner, contested 55 seats and managed to win only two seats. The LJP finished runner-up in 36 seats in the assembly and managed to obtain 4.8 percent of the votes.
However, dismissing the rumors, LJP chief Chirag Paswan said on Saturday: “I have no problem with Nitish Kumar’s name as the image of the NDA.” “I agree with any Tom, Dick or Harry chosen by the BJP,” NDTV quoted the 37-year-old leader, who has criticized Bihar’s chief minister on managing the floods and the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. .
In setting certain conditions for the alliance, Paswan said the partners must agree to a common minimum program that includes their campaign “Bihar First and Bihari First” and said he was not willing to work on Kumar’s commitment to ‘seven resolves’, announced . ahead of the 2015 elections. Chirag, son of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, has in the past expressed his ambition to serve as chief minister of the state.
LJP sources said that any attempt to undermine the party’s position in the state will prompt it to do everything possible against JD (U). They said that the JD (U) has been working to undermine the LJP. They cited the ruling party’s decision to join Dalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, who has a history of attacking the LJP, a party whose base is primarily among Dalits, as another attempt in this regard.
Meanwhile, the BJP has maintained that the ruling National Democratic Alliance is intact in the state and has stuck to the projection of Kumar as its main ministerial face.
It is likely that in the next few days the calendar of elections to the assembly in the state will be announced. The Electoral Commission has indicated that it would like to conclude the exercise before the term of the current Chamber ends on November 29.
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