PATNA: The chorus to project Bihar CM Nitish Kumar as the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate for 2024 general election grew louder on Friday after state’ education minister Dr Chandra Shekhar said that Bihar would give another ‘Chakravarty Samrat’ to the country in 2024.
While praising the works and vision of Nitish during an education department’s event at the S K Memorial Hall in Patna, Shekhar said Bihar has been famous for giving many Chakravarty kings – right from Yayati to Ashoka the great- to the country but over the time the state stopped producing such kings. “This Bihar will give another ‘Chakravarty Samrat’ to the country in 2024,” the minister said, hinting towards Nitish’s elevation as the opposition’s PM candidate, amidst applause from the audience. Nitish was present on the dais when the minister made such a statement.
Lauding Nitish for his concern for the backward states like Bihar and Jharkhand, the education minister, who belongs to Lalu Prasad’s party RJD, further said our CM always remained concerned about the issues of poor and backward states as well as the problems of the poor and the members belong to the weaker sections of the society.
Shekhar also pointed out that the head of the Government of India (PM Narendra Modi) was supposed to grant the status of special category state to Bihar and other backward states. He (Modi) was supposed to provide a special package to Bihar and other backward states for their proper development. But he failed.
“On the other hand, our CM Nitish Kumar has taken a resolve that when he gets an opportunity to serve the nation, he would grant the status of special category state to Bihar and all other backward states,” the minister said.
Though Nitish while interacting with media here on August 12 categorically said he was not in the PM’s race, senior JD(U) leaders like Upendra Kushwaha have regularly been asserting that the Bihar CM has all qualities and qualifications to become the PM. “He (Nitish) is a PM material,” Kushwaha often says.
