On his 69th birthday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday asserted that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was united in Bihar and would win more than 200 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections, due in October-November 2020. Mr. Kumar also listed the achievements of his government and formally launched the party’s campaign for the Assembly poll. Bihar has 243 seats in its State Assembly.
“The NDA is united in Bihar. Let us resolve to ensure that the NDA will win more than 200 seats in upcoming Assembly election in the State,” Mr. Kumar said while addressing the party’s ‘Karyakarta Sammelan’ (workers’ meeting) at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.
Mr. Kumar’s meeting with Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav in the ongoing Budget session in the State Assembly has lately fuelled speculation in the State’s political circles, but Mr. Kumar’s speech at the Sammelan dispelled it.
Poor turnout
For the past several days, the State capital has been dotted with hoardings, billboards, posters and huge arches on roads with life-size photos of Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leaders and workers. However, attendance at the workers’ meeting place was sparse.
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Attendees who were brought in buses by party MPs, MLAs and State leaders for the meeting were nowhere to be seen in the numbers claimed by party leaders earlier. “Three days ago, Kanhaiya Kumar’s rally had double the crowd at the same Gandhi Maidan… it has been the most unimpressive party workers’ meeting of the JD(U) in recent times,” a shop owner near the western flank of Gandhi Maidan told The Hindu.
Tejashwi Yadav, who is currently on a ‘Berojgari hatao’ (‘remove unemployment’) yatra too posted pictures of thin attendance at the JD(U)’s workers’ meeting and termed it a “flop show”.
Party workers kept repeating the JD(U)’s new slogan “Do hazaar bees, phir se Nitish” (‘2020, once again Nitish’) at the meeting, while Opposition party leaders said, “2020, finish Nitish”.
‘Patience on CAA’
While listing out the achievements of his government in a nearly hour-long speech, Mr. Kumar also underscored that the State Assembly had recently unanimously passed a resolution against the National Register of Citizens and declared that the National Population Register would be implemented in only in the 2010 format. “So, patience should be kept on the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and other controversies be avoided until the issues are before the court,” he appealed to party workers.
He also slammed the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-Congress alliance and said that when the NDA government came to power in 2005, “the rule of law was brought in the State”.
“On the crime index, Bihar’s 23rd position is among the lowest in the country...statistics of crime have gone down in the State but a few people keep posting about some incidents on their social media accounts…we all remember the Bhagalpur riots in 1989…when our government came to power, the guilty were brought to book and victims got justice,” Mr. Kumar said.
The CM also spoke about how his government had worked in the field of education, health, electricity and other sectors. “Earlier, 12.5% children did not go to school but today the percentage has come down to less than 1%...we distributed lakhs of bicycles and other facilities to school students,” he added.
PM tweets
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted to wish Mr. Kumar on his birthday. “Greetings to Bihar’s Chief Minister and my friend, Shri @NitishKumar Ji. A popular leader who has risen from the grassroots, he’s been at the forefront of furthering Bihar’s development. His passion towards social empowerment is noteworthy. Praying for his long and healthy life,” the PM said in his tweet.
