Nitish Kumar has been criticized for his handling of the migrant crisis (Archive)
Highlight
- A video showed Nitish Kumar’s irate reaction to the slogans at his rally
- “What are you saying?” – Nitish Kumar shouted in the middle of his direction
- Don’t make chaos here, added the prime minister.
New Delhi:
The packed rallies of opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav have gone viral in the campaign for the Bihar elections that begin next week. The promise of Rashtriya leader Janata Dal (RJD) to create 10 lakhs of government jobs, repeated at every rally, draws the loudest applause. Today, a different video showed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s irate reaction to the slogans of “Lalu Yadav Zindabad“at his rally.
“What are you saying? What are you saying?” shouted an irate Nitish Kumar in the middle of being thrown by Chandrika Rai, a longtime RJD leader and aide to Lalu Yadav who recently passed over to ruler Janata Dal United.
“Raise your hand, whoever is speaking anap-shanaap (nonsense) “demanded the Chief Minister. A short silence and someone yelled”chara chor (forage thief) “- a reference to the corruption scandal for which Lalu Yadav was imprisoned.
That seemed to calm Nitish Kumar a bit, but he continued, “Don’t find (chaos) here. If you don’t want to vote for me, then no … The reason you came here … you will destroy the votes of the man you are here for. “
The outburst reveals how much Tejashwi Yadav’s campaign cry for employment and its unexpected appeal among the masses has shaken the Chief Minister.
Yesterday, Nitish Kumar, who was aiming for a fourth consecutive term as Chief Minister, ridiculed the claims of the RJD leader at a rally, calling it an impossible promise that “no one on earth” could fulfill.
“I see this promise about jobs, but people don’t have the knowledge or experience (to fulfill this promise). Have you seen something like this all over the world? Why only 10 lakh? If you are giving work then it gives work to everyone. he said, questioning whether Tejashwi Yadav planned to raise money for his scheme “from jail or by printing counterfeit bills.”
Until now, his ally BJP had ignored the crowds. Today, Senior Deputy Minister Sushil Modi issued a statement questioning the job promise with statistics. He said the salaries and payments of current government employees amount to 52,734 million rupees. Another 10 lakh employees will raise the amount to Rs 1.11 lakh crore.
The pushback has become critical of the Chief Minister and many ministers facing public resentment during their campaign, according to sources. This is not entirely a surprise; Nitish Kumar had been criticized for his handling of the migrant crisis, especially after more than 32 lakh people were forced to return to Bihar after losing their jobs and homes during the coronavirus shutdown. Furthermore, the BJP notes, after 15 years there will surely be “boredom”.
They had calculated that joblessness had become a hot topic in Bihar and Tejashwi, 31, fighting for his first election without his father Lalu Yadav by his side, resonating with the crowd. Unfazed by Nitish Kumar’s disdain, the RJD leader called him “mentally and physically tired.”
BJP sources said the large crowds at the Tejashwi rallies were “natural” and “can even be translated into votes,” but all would change when Prime Minister Narendra Modi began campaigning.
Bihar has been voting since October 28 in favor of a new assembly of 243 members. The results will be announced on November 10.
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