PATNA: Ahead of the assembly elections in Bihar, the credit war between the Opposition RJD and the ruling JD(U) has escalated, with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asserting on Saturday that no development initiatives were taken during the RJD's tenure in power.
Without directly naming the RJD, Nitish told media persons, “Whatever development has taken place in Bihar has occurred during my regime. No development work was undertaken earlier. What development happened before I started helming the affairs of the state?”
Nitish, who also inaugurated “Agro Bihar 2024” (an agricultural mechanization fair), emphasized that his government had implemented numerous measures for the benefit of farmers and the agricultural sector. He stated that his government initiated this fair to provide a platform for farmers, industry representatives, and government officials to interact. He further alleged that no initiatives were taken to improve the condition of farmers when the RJD was in power.
Reacting sharply to Nitish’s claim that no development took place during the Lalu-Rabri regime, RJD spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan challenged Nitish to list the initiatives he had taken for the welfare of farmers during his 19 years in power. Gagan accused Nitish of habitually relying on the reports of officers without forming his own judgment.
The credit war between the two parties intensified after Nitish ended his alliance with the RJD and formed a new government with the BJP in January this year. RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav claimed that he had made a "tired" chief minister work during their time in the grand alliance government. Nitish countered this claim by aggressively focusing on creating government jobs and employment opportunities. He has set a target of providing 12 lakh government jobs to youths by next year.
In the last assembly election, Tejashwi boosted his party's prospects by promising 10 lakh government jobs to the youth. It remains to be seen how he will challenge Nitish’s job-creation narrative in the assembly elections due next year.