Nitish at G20 dinner: Oppn left ‘red-faced’
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar seems to have left the opposition bloc INDIA “in a tizzy” by attending the G20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi last week. It was given a miss by most members of the INDIA bloc, of which JD(U) is a part of. At the dinner, Nitish met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time after JD(U) snapped ties with BJP and formed a new government with the Grand Alliance last year. Modi introduced Nitish to US President Joe Biden. A picture of Modi, Nitish and Biden went viral creating a flutter in the political circles as it didn’t go well with the opposition.
JD (U) pitches Nitish as PM once again
Janata Dal (U) is repeatedly projecting Bihar CM Nitish Kumar as a formidable candidate for the PM’s post from opposition bloc INDIA. This time, his name was pitched by JD(U) MLA Pankaj Mishra amid a meeting of bloc members in New Delhi on Wednesday. JD (U) National President Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh had earlier said that Nitish has a clean image and experience working as a union minister as well. “Nobody can question Nitish’s integrity and honesty,” Lalan had said. When asked, Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari said every political party has the right to project its leader as the PM’s face. What’s wrong with it? he questioned.
Bihar announces Rs 5 cr aid to flood-hit Himachal
The Bihar government has announced Rs 5 crore assistance to Himachal Pradesh which was hit by unprecedented heavy rains triggering landslides and flash floods. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a letter to his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed the state’s deep grief over the loss of human lives and property in Himachal. Over 400 people lost their lives and 13,000 houses were damaged in the natural calamity. As per government estimate, Himachal Pradesh has suffered cumulative losses of over Rs 12,000 crore.
Ramashankar
Our correspondent in Bihar
ramashankar@newindianexpress.com