Updated: October 29, 2020 8:08:12 am
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during an election rally at the Patna Veterinary Camp on Wednesday. (PTI)
MARKING full circle from the moment he refused to share the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Wednesday sought votes on his behalf. With his table of vikas not cutting the ice with voters, Nitish dedicated his speech here to the work undertaken by the Center in Bihar and said that Modi would ensure that the state developed if the NDA were to return to power.
Praising Modi profusely and thanking him for “taking the time” to campaign, Nitish said: “Hear her call. If you give the NDA one more chance, then you can be sure it will transform the state. Bihar will march forward. ”The CM referred to the Patna subway, the Smart Cities plan, the Ujjwala scheme and the roads in Bihar while applauding the PM’s“ generosity ”.
Amid “Modi, Modi” slogans from the crowd, Nitish said that people had come to the rally to hear only Modi, and said his efforts to control Covid-19 were “exceptional.” After Nitish’s speech, Modi was invited to speak, with an introduction such as “Yug Purush”.
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While the NDA’s victory in 39 out of 40 seats in 2019 was largely attributed to the Modi factor, it is the first time in an Assembly poll that the CM seeks votes on behalf of the prime minister.
Opinion: NDA has a slight edge in Bihar polls, despite Nitish Kumar’s dwindling popularity
At the beginning of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and the 2010 Assembly, when it was the Gujarat CM, Modi had been kept out of Bihar during NDA campaigns, reportedly at Nitish’s urging. In a 2010 public meeting, Nitish had said: “When there is Sushil Modi in Bihar, there is no need for another Modi (Narendra) here.” He had even canceled an NDA dinner scheduled in 2010 in Patna because of Modi’s presence.
Nitish’s discomfort with Modi was attributed to the Gujarat riots in 2002, although the same JD (U) leader had been part of the NDA government in the Center at the time.
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Nitish parted ways with the NDA in 2013. He fought in the 2015 polls as part of Mahagathbandhan. During that time, he had asked for a Bharat “Sangh-mukt”.
In recent days, in Bihar, the BJP has put up prominent posters with the prime minister’s photograph underlining the party’s job promise, which has become a big problem in polls.
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