With the first phase of Assembly elections in Bihar barely two weeks away, JD(U) president and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday reiterated that he would implement the sequel to his ambitious Saat Nishchay (seven resolves) programme to make the State self-reliant.
The BJP which started its poll campaign on Sunday from Gaya, released the list of the party’s 30 star campaigners and 46 candidates for the second phase of the poll.
“Saat Nischay part-2 is in continuation with the earlier set of promises made to the public during the ongoing NDA regime,” Mr. Kumar tweeted on Sunday.
Former ally, Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party, had taken issue with Mr. Kumar over his flagship programme, saying, “The programme is not of NDA rule but was a carry forward from the mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) government,” of which the JD(U) had been a member.
While speaking to The Hindu in private some BJP leaders voiced discomfort with Mr. Kumar’s announcement on the Saat Nischay part-2 “without taking consent of alliance partners”.
Meanwhile, Mr Kumar’s tweet on Sunday listed the areas of development which will be included in development programme’s sequel.
“Creating a centre of excellence for promoting quality of training in ITI and polytechnic institutions, setting up district wise mega-skill centers for giving job-oriented training, tool rooms and training centers in each division and a new department for skill development and entrepreneurship will also be set up,” said one of the seven resolves of Saat Nischay Part-2.
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The CM said the “government will also provide 50% grants, up to a maximum of ₹3 lakh for setting up a new business and on loans of up to ₹7 lakh, grants of 7% will be given by the government.”
Girls completing Class XII exams will be given ₹25,000 each, and ₹50,000 those completing their graduation, Mr. Kumar said and promised to increase the participation of women in local administration, police, and in district-level offices, among others through reservations.
BJP president J.P. Nadda kicked off the party’s campaign from Gaya. While attacking the Congress, he also asserted that as “Nitish Kumar government took care of the people of Bihar amid COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that the leadership of the State is secured with him.”
Addressing a public meeting, Mr. Nadda listed achievements of the NDA governments at the Center and State in the last six years. “Leadership of India is secured in the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it is also important that the leadership of Bihar is secured with Nitish Kumar,” he said.
The BJP’s list of 30 star campaigners includes PM Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. JD(U) sources told The Hindu that joint campaigns of Mr. Modi and Mr. Kumar would be held but dates have not been fixed yet.
The BJP further released list of 46 party candidates for the second phase of poll. Earlier BJP had released its first list of 43 candidates in the poll-bound state.
