PATNA: Call it a change of heart or compulsion in politics, BJP's Member of Legislative Council (MLC), Sachidanand Rai, who was known as a bitter critic of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, has demanded an international award for Nitish Kumar.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday Rai said, "Nobody can deny the works Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has done for women empowerment in the state."
"Be it the matter of providing reservation for women in Panchayati Raj elections or in recruitments to women in police forces, in particular, Kumar has surpassed all records of others and given a major boost to the women empowerment," he said.
He added that it is for these reasons why the Chief Minister deserves international recognition in the form of a Nobel prize.
Rai's comments on Nitish Kumar has surprised a number of his party leaders too. A senior leader, preferring anonymity said that Rai may have ulterior motives for praising him.
Earlier, JD-U MLC Khalid has also demanded a Nobel prize for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for launching "Jal-Jeevan-Haryali" mission on climate changes.
Under this mission, the Chief Minister will renovate three lakh wells and one lakh ponds among other traditional water bodies in the next three years. Over 20 crore saplings will also be planted.
The state government will spend around Rs 24,500 crore on this mission.