Published 14:09 IST, October 18th 2020
Chirag Paswan doesn't want to complicate PM Modi's Bihar campaign: 'Target me if you must'
LJP chief Chirag Paswan has once again stressed on the good relations between PM Modi and his party, adding that BJP can attack LJP if their ally JDU compels to
As the Bihar election nears, the question of who is fighting against whom is getting increasingly complicated. Even as the BJP is clearly stating that they will make Nitish Kumar the CM if they win the Bihar elections, LJP chief Chirag Paswan has once again stressed that BJP and LJP are together. This comes even after BJP warned Paswan against using PM Modi's name in the poll campaign for his party after he left the NDA alliance. However, the LJP chief has issued a number of statements saying that the BJP-LJP government will come in power and that he believes in PM Modi's ideology and his vision of "Bihari first."
On Sunday, taking to Twitter, Chirag Paswan said that he doesn't want to complicate matters for PM Narendra Modi and urged him to "follow the coalition dharma", adding that if the situation requires him to target LJP, he should not shy away from doing it. He alleged that CM Nitish Kumar in his speeches is only focussing to show how there are differences between PM Modi and him (Chirag Paswan). He added that he doesn't need to show off his relationship with the Prime Minister, adding that he can never forget the support extended by the PM when late Ram Vilas Paswan was in the hospital.
Paswan lauds PM's leadership
Even after quitting the NDA, Chirag Paswan said that LJP wanted to bring back Bihar's lost pride and he believes in PM Modi. Lamenting that Bihar CM Nitish Kumar hadn't lived up to his party's expectations, Paswan questioned the JD(U) president's idea of development. Reiterating his affection for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the LJP president contended he was the PM's "Hanuman". Opining that the former's photo was in his heart, Paswan added that he was ready to "tear open his chest" to prove this. It is pertinent to note that BJP has affirmed faith in the leadership of Nitish Kumar in Bihar.
LJP won't contest under CM Nitish
On October 4, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) decided that it won't contest Bihar polls under CM Nitish Kumar's leadership, passing a resolution for an LJP-BJP government at the Central Parliamentary Board meeting headed by LJP chief Chirag Paswan. He said that he had "always been opposed to" Nitish's politics. He alleged that Nitish had harmed the Dalits by creating a sub-group of Mahadalits for his own political gains. He rubbished Nitish's much-touted saat nishchay (seven resolves) and has been appealing to the people of Bihar to vote against JDU and for 'Bihar first, Bihari first' agenda.
BJP fires back at LJP's claims
Addressing the poll campaign on Saturday, BJP's Bihar in-charge Bhupendra Yadav said that the party is clear about the alliance with LJP and stressed that Nitish Kumar will be the CM of the BJP-JDU government. He had earlier highlighted that Paswan had contested and won the Jamui seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election as a part of the NDA, and took a dig asking what changed in few months? Moreover, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar asked Paswan to stop taking senior BJP leaders' names while campaigning. Asserting that BJP had no 'B' or 'C' team in the State, Javadekar said that Paswan was trying to create confusion. Terming LJP as a 'vote-cutter, BJP expressed confidence in the NDA coalition winning 3/4ths of the majority in the upcoming polls.
Bihar Elections 2020
The 243 member-assembly of Bihar will go to polls in three phases - October 28, November 3, November 7 and counting of votes will take place on November 10. This year's Bihar elections will witness the clash of as many as five alliances. In the 2015 state polls, the Mahagatbandhan comprising RJD, JD(U) and Congress won a whopping majority with 178 seats under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. On the other hand, the BJP-led alliance won from only 58 constituencies. On July 26, 2017, Nitish Kumar stepped down as the CM citing irreconcilable differences with RJD over corruption allegations against Tejashwi Yadav and joined hands with its former ally BJP.
Updated 14:09 IST, October 18th 2020