Chirag Paswan recently declared that Nitish Kumar would “never return as Chief Minister”. (Archive)
Patna:
Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who faced an onion attack in a recent public meeting while campaigning for state elections, was supported yesterday by his opposition rival Tejashwi Yadav, who condemned the incident. His ally-turned-critic Chirag Paswan was less charitable.
“Instead of asking people to come up to him and talk about their problems, he instigated them and said ‘pheko, pheko aur pheko. I don’t appreciate the way you reacted“ Party chief Lok Janshakti said today.
Chirag Paswan’s attacks on the Chief Minister have been increasingly bitter since he announced his decision to contest the Bihar elections separately from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and sever ties with Nitish Kumar while remaining with the BJP.
He recently declared that Nitish Kumar would “never return as Chief Minister” after November 10 (the day of the Bihar results).
In contrast, Tejashwi Yadav, the main ministerial face of the opposition coalition, gave a measured response to Nitish Kumar being attacked with onions by a crowd and said there were other ways to protest.
“I condemn the incident. There are other forms of protest in a democracy like voting. This incident should not have happened. I don’t like this. Our fight is based only on issues,” Yadav said, according to ANI.
On Tuesday, Nitish Kumar was campaigning in Madhubani for the state elections that ended on Saturday when onions were thrown onto the stage. His security men instantly formed a shield around him as he continued his speech.
“Khub feko, khub feko, khub feko (keep shooting), “the chief minister replied to his attacker.
When security personnel apparently caught the man throwing onions, Nitish Kumar said, “Let him go, pay him no attention.”
Kumar is believed to be facing a relatively tougher challenge this time, as he awaits a fourth consecutive term. He and his ministers have faced public ire during the campaign, and the opposition has highlighted the labor and immigration crises.
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