November 4, 2020 9:55:57 pm
Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Khanquah Mujeebia, Phulwarisharif in Patna, on Eid-E-Milad-Un-Nabi on October 30 (Photo: PTI).
As the focus shifts to the third phase of the Bihar elections, where the Seemanchal region of northeast Bihar, with a sizable minority community, will go to the polls, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reached out to Muslims at rallies on Wednesday and reminded people that his government had increased the salaries of teachers in madrasas and tried to allay fears about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
In a region that saw widespread protests against CAA, Kumar said he had worked to spread love, peace and brotherhood, and that no one had the strength to “send anyone out of the country.”
Speaking at a rally in Araria on Wednesday afternoon, the Chief Minister said that while previous governments had done nothing to increase the salaries of teachers in the madarsas, his government had. “Before, did the teachers in the madrasas receive anything? Tell me, Sanskrit teachers and madrasa teachers had come to Patna to demand, it was not our government then. They had left right? Did you get something? When we had the opportunity, we started working for them. And in the end what happened.
The salaries that are given to teachers in public schools, that’s what we give to teachers in madrasas. Please think how much work was done. Before, how many madrasas were recognized? How many more madrasas did we recognize? Please think carefully, ”he said.
Read also | The fight is between Modi and me: Tejashwi
At a later rally in Kishanganj, Nitish attacked those “spread rumors about CAA and NRC.” “Who keeps spreading misinformation? Are you still talking nonsense? Who will send someone out of the country? Nobody has the strength to do that to our people. Sab Hindustan ke hain, sab Bharat ke hain. Kaun isko bahar karega? “Kumar said.
“Since you gave us a chance, you tell me, we have worked for an environment of love, of brotherhood, of compassion. We try to unite everyone. Some people want society to keep fighting, there is no need to work. And we continue working, that is our goal, that when we all live in peace, love and brotherhood, only then will society advance, people will advance and development will occur, “said Kumar.
Aside from this, much of Kumar’s focus in his speeches on Wednesday was work done for communities like women, seen as a loyal constituency of Kumar, and work for underprivileged groups.
At Araria, he said, “For those who were on the sidelines, we have made special policies. Please see the respect that women were given earlier. There were so few public representatives. When we had the opportunity, we gave them a 50 percent reserve in the panchayati raj institutions and municipal corporations. Three elections have occurred and look at the high number of women in politics. How good it is. In the same way for programmed castes, programmed tribes, and extremely backward classes, we also gave reservation. And in EBC, everyone is included, of all religions and you can see that everyone receives respect. “
Kumar said that when they came to power, children from marginalized communities were not making it to school. “We analyzed and found that these were from the Mahadalit communities or the minority community. “We work to get them to school and we create tola sevak, markaz sevaWe put thirty thousand people to work … now there is no one left, almost nothing. So, those who have been marginalized, we work for them, “he said.
In Araria, he also kept up the attack on the RJD record on law and order, saying: “Law and order have been controlled. Did anyone dare to go out earlier? Now you can see peace in society. There was so much crime, so many riots, so many kidnappings. We control all of this. “
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
.
