Patna: It promises to be a no-holds barred election campaign in Bihar and the first salvo has been fired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Launching Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance's campaign in the high-stakes for Bihar, the Prime Minister on Saturday attacked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing him of "back-stabbing" his party and remarking that problem was with the CM's "DNA".
While addressing an election rally in Muzaffarpur district, Modi not only slammed Kumar but also RJD chief Lalu Prasad and coined a new term to describe the latter's party calling it "Rojana Jungle Raj ka Darr".
Taking potshots at Nitish, Modi narrated an incident and claimed he was mistreated by the Bihar Chief Minister. He said, "When I was invited for lunch by the Chief Minister, he took away my food. Lalu said he is having poison today but I had it on that day."
Modi also took a dig at Nitish Kumar for breaking the 17-year-old alliance with the BJP before the Lok Sabha elections. "There was a time when Nitish asked me not to come to Bihar, but time has changed now. The previous PMs didn't come, only did an aerial survey but my visit now is troubling the Chief Minister. If I was so bad you could have slapped me, strangled me but why did you strangle the development of an entire state, is this democracy?"
He said Bihar will be given a special package "bigger" than Rs 50,000 crore which he had promised earlier and that will be announced after the end of Monsoon session of Parliament as his "lips are sealed till then".
Kumar lost no time in hitting back at Modi accusing him of not honouring promises made for development of the state and commenting that problem was with the CM's "DNA".
Kumar held a press conference at his residence after seeing off the Prime Minister at Patna airport to give a point-by-point rebuttal to Modi's charges against him at the BJP rally at Muzaffarpur.
He contradicted Modi on his assertions of having benefitted Bihar by devolving more money under 14th Finance Commission as against 13th Finance Commission as well on energy.
Lashing out at the Prime Minister for comments purported to be directed against him, Prasad accused Modi of trying to "create a rift" between him and Kumar.
This is a clear strategy to divide us. He is trying to create rift between Kumar and me," Prasad said.
Speaking in favour of BJP, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) supremo Jitan Ram Manjhi said, "I appeal to the people of Bihar to throw out Nitish from the state, NDA should come to power and the pace of development will automatically speed up."
Kumar's JDU, RJD, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party are in alliance to contest the state assembly polls scheduled to be held in October-November in 2015.
BJP will fight the election in partnership with Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party of Upendra Kushwaha with HAM also likely to join the NDA.
Comments
0 comment