Nitish Kumar briefly chatted with both of them under the glare of flashes and cell phones.
Patna:
A memorial to Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan tonight brought together three bitter rivals amid a bitter campaign for the Bihar elections. Prime Minister Nitish Kumar sat down with his biggest critics, Chirag Paswan and Tejashwi Yadav, delivering a rare picture for the cameras this election season.
Nitish Kumar briefly chatted with both of them under the glare of flashes and cell phones.
This is the first time the Chief Minister has been seen speaking to Chirag Paswan; Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader recently told NDTV that Nitish Kumar had completely rejected him every time they met since his father’s death.
Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Nitish Kumar’s longtime political partner and key ally of the BJP, died on October 8.
Chirag Paswan had alleged that when his father’s body arrived at the Patna airport, the Chief Minister did not recognize it even when it touched his feet. He had previously also complained to the BJP leadership that Nitish Kumar had “insulted” his father and had not said a word to him or his mother about Paswan Sr.’s health.
Today, Chirag Paswan’s office said that he touched Nitish Kumar’s feet again and received his blessings.
A video of Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav sitting together was widely shared online.
In the electoral campaign, however, none of the three threw blows.
At a rally today in Gopalganj, Nitish Kumar broke Tejashwi Yadav’s promise of 10 lakhs of jobs.
“Where will you get the money to pay the salaries? From the same scam you are behind bars for? Where will you get the money? Will you print fake money or get you out of jail,” the Chief Minister scoffed, not naming Tejashwi Yadav’s father, Lalu Yadav, who is serving a jail sentence in a corruption scandal involving the scam of government funds destined to feed livestock.
Yesterday, Tejashwi Yadav had said: “What Nitish Kumar Ji did with Chirag Paswan is not good. Chirag Paswan needs his father right now more than ever, but Ram Vilas Paswan ji is not among us and we are sad about it. Nitish Kumar did injustice to Chirag Paswan. “
Nitish Kumar is fighting for a fourth consecutive term as Bihar votes on October 28, November 3 and 7. His ally turned rival Chirag Paswan, however, says he will work to defeat Nitish Kumar and form a government with the BJP.
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