“It is our duty and in our culture to take everyone with us,” said Nitish Kumar. (File photo)
Patna:
A dispute between Prime Minister Nitish Kumar and his BJP ally’s star activist Yogi Adityanath has reopened cracks in the ruling coalition amid Bihar’s election campaign.
Nitish Kumar has publicly rebuked Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, for his comments on “expelling the infiltrators.”
“Who does all these malicious campaigns? Who says all this? I missed baat (nonsense)? Who will kick the people out? Nobody dares to do that. Everyone belongs to this country, everyone is Indian, “Bihar’s chief minister thundered at a public meeting on Wednesday.
सब को साथ ले कर चलना ही हमारा धर्म है। यही हमारी संस्कृति है। सब साथ चलेंगे तो बिहार आगे बढ़ेगा। pic.twitter.com/uEfnVJPiay
– Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) November 4, 2020
“Who talks like this? Our effort is to work for harmony, unity and brotherhood so that there is progress. And these people only want to create divisions, they have no other job.”
Nitish Kumar even tweeted the comments with the comment: “It is our duty and in our culture to bring everyone with us. Bihar will progress only then.”
He did not name anyone in his speech, but was perceived as a retort to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart, who has been campaigning for the BJP-led coalition in Bihar.
Yogi Adityanath addressed a rally in Katihar yesterday when he spoke about the new law allowing Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from neighboring Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they fled religious persecution and entered India before 2015.
“ModiHee He has found a solution to the infiltration problem … With the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), he guaranteed the safety of tortured minorities in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The center also said that any infiltrator who tries to violate the country’s security will be expelled. We will not tolerate anyone who interferes with the security and sovereignty of the country, “said Yogi Adityanath.
लोकतंत्र के महापर्व में आज कटिहार की सम्मानित जनता से संवाद रूपी सानिध्य प्राप्त हो रहा है … सुनिए मेरा संबोधन … https://t.co/JjDDMUd7rQ
– Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) November 4, 2020
Nitish Kumar’s irate rejection once again exposed his ideological contradictions with the BJP.
The CAA, which was enacted last December, sparked protests across the country from activists, opposition parties and others who claimed that, along with the National Citizen Registry (NRC), it could be used to target minorities.
Nitish Kumar had said in January that the NRC was confined to Assam and that implementing it across the country was unnecessary.
Bihar’s chief minister also disagreed with the BJP-led central government’s move to end special status for Jammu and Kashmir under section 370 and his Janata Dal United party had initially opposed it in parliament. Later, he backed it up by saying that it had already become law.
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