Published 17:57 IST, March 1st 2020
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar asserts 'NDA united' ahead of Bihar polls amid attacks by RJD
Addressing the crowd in his rally on Sunday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asserted that the NDA, of which his JD(U) is a part, was "united' in Bihar
Addressing the crowd in his rally on Sunday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asserted that the NDA, of which his JD(U) is a part, was "united' in Bihar. His remark comes as a clarification as speculations arose from his recent meetings with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. Addressing the 'karyakarta sammelan' of the party in Patna's Gandhi Maidan, Kumar underscored that the state assembly has passed a unanimous resolution against the NRC and the NPR, therefore "patience" should be kept on the CAA and "controversies" must be avoided until the matter was before the court.
Speaking in the rally, he also said that the JD(U) workers should work together to "ensure NDA will win more than 200 seats in Bihar assembly polls". Kumar also slammed the opposition Congress-RJD alliance over the 1989 Bhagalpur riots and pointed out that it was only after his government came to power in 2005 that the guilty were brought to book and the victims got justice.
On his birthday, Nitish Kumar is set to launch a campaign for the assembly election scheduled in Oct-Nov. The "Karyakarta Sammelan" at Gandhi Maidan will be a show of strength by the JDU. "We are looking forward to receiving inspiration from the chief minister. His addresses are always special. But this time, it is more so as it falls on his birthday," JDU spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said, according to news agency PTI.
"We cannot think of a better birthday gift than ensuring his return to power with a resounding majority. The party has set a target of securing more than 200 seats for the NDA out of the total 243. This includes putting up a spectacular performance ourselves and helping our alliance partners to win," Prasad added.
RJD takes a dig at Nitish's rally
Posting a bird-eye view of Nitish Kumar's rally at Patna's Gandhi Maidan, RJD leaders Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav has taken a dig on the chief minister. Tejashwi said that it was "Maha failure" and that Nitish was unable to bring even 50 men despite the money and muscle power. Tej Pratap went on to take a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and mocked at the seemingly empty Gandhi Maidan.
Meanwhile, PM Modi on Sunday extended his wishes to Nitish Kumar on his 69th birthday. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi hailed Nitish for being at the forefront of furthering Bihar's development and noted his passion for social development. Calling him a "popular leader", the PM said that he has risen from the grassroots, and has been at the forefront of furthering Bihar’s development.
Updated 17:57 IST, March 1st 2020