Published 17:19 IST, October 22nd 2020
'Do not forget BJP's favours': Paswan takes a dig at Nitish; warns of U-turn after polls
Amid the Bihar Assembly election campaign, LJP president Chirag Paswan on Thursday alleged that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had deceived its ally BJP.
Amid the Bihar election campaign, LJP national president Chirag Paswan on Thursday alleged that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had cheated its ally BJP. He recalled the JD(U) president's history of betraying his alliance partners, referring to his decision to abruptly exit the Mahagatbandhan. Paswan expressed hope that Kumar should not again join hands with RJD after the declaration of results.
Weighing in on the seat-sharing formula, the Jamui MP contended that JD(U) had deliberately given less than 157 seats to BJP in this election. Reiterating that BJP had been deceived, he pointed out how Nitish Kumar had agreed to contest only 101 seats when he was in an alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav. Paswan also repeated his claim that JD(U) had worked against LJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Urging Kumar not to forget the BJP's favours, he accused the Bihar CM of destroying the chair just to safeguard his position.
LJP's conflicting stance
The Bihar Assembly election will be held in 3 phases- October 28, November 3 and November 7 with the counting of votes scheduled for November 10. An NDA ally since 2014, LJP decided to contest the polls separately owing to ideological differences with JD(U). Asserting that joining the Mahagatbandhan would have been an easier choice, Chirag Paswan said that LJP wanted to bring back Bihar's lost pride. 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.
What set the rumour mills abuzz is his repeated assertion of LJP and BJP forming the next government in Bihar. Reiterating his affection for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the LJP president said that he was the PM's "Hanuman". Noting that Nitish Kumar was continuously trying to wedge a divide between him and the PM, Paswan opined on October 18 that he did not want the latter to face any moral dilemma. Thereafter, he appealed to PM Modi to speak against him without any hesitation to follow the NDA coalition dharma. On the other hand, BJP has slammed Paswan's attempt to misguide the voters and affirmed faith in Nitish Kumar as the Bihar CM face.
Updated 17:19 IST, October 22nd 2020