PATNA: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that BJP’s doors were permanently closed for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and accused the JD(U) leader of turning into ‘avasarvadi’ (opportunist) from ‘vikasvadi’ while chasing his dream of becoming the PM.
Sounding the bugle for the 2024 Lok Sabha election in a public meeting at Lauria in West Champaran district, Shah said, “Nitish pursued the politics of ‘Aaya Ram and Gaya Ram’ (political flip-flops) and destroyed Bihar for his Prime Minister ambition.”The public meeting was organised under the Valmikinagar Lok Sabha constituency, currently represented by JD(U) MP.
“Nitish became the CM though his JD (U) bagged fewer seats than the BJP in the last assembly election. This was as per BJP’s promise that also ensured the ‘double engine’ government functioned smoothly,” he added. “Since Nitish dreams about becoming Prime Minister every three years, he snapped ties with BJP and sat in the lap of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and also at the feet of former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi,” he remarked.
Shah said Nitish had fought against Congress as a disciple of socialist leader Jay Prakash Narain and also against Lalu’s ‘jungle raj’ but formed an unholy alliance with RJD. “RJD and JD(U) are like oil and water and they can never mix,” Shah quipped while comparing RJD with oil and JD (U) with water. He also exhorted people to teach a lesson to a turncoat, indirectly attacking Nitish. He also claimed that the CM was under Lalu’s pressure.
It is Shah’s second visit to Bihar since Nitish snapped his ties with BJP last August. Union Home Minister said the Nitish government had even purchased a new plane so that CM could visit various states in a bid to become the PM. “But he should know that PM Narendra Modi was returning to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.”
Nitish had struck a deal with RJD that he would make Lalu’s son Tejashwi the chief minister of the state but he is not revealing when he would do it, Shah pointed out while remarking that there should be transparency in the politics.
Shah alleged that an anarchy-like situation was prevailing in Bihar as criminal activities like murder, kidnapping, dacoity and rape had risen alarmingly as even journalists had not been spared following the formation of the ‘grand alliance government’ in the state.
“Bihar is burning due to the flame of the ‘lantern’,” Shah remarked while obliquely referring to the RJD’s symbol. “Liquor and sand mafias have become active. People are dying after consuming spurious liquor in the state,” he added.
Nitish was silent even as the Popular Front of India was spreading its tentacles in the state but the PM took the initiative and provided security to the country by banning it, he added. “The demography is changing in the areas bordering Nepal but Nitish has no courage to stop it,” he added.
“The BJP will form government in Bihar by getting a clear majority in the 2025 assembly polls,” Shah claimed while exhorting people to make the beginning of it in the 2024 LS election by voting for the party.
Meanwhile, addressing a Mahagathbandhan rally in Purnea, the JD(U) chief said the Congress will have to take a quick decision in this regard. “If all the opposition parties, including the Congress, come together and fight the 2024 Lok Sabha polls unitedly, the BJP will be restricted to under 100 seats,” he said.
“But the Congress will have to take a quick decision in this regard. If you (Congress) accept my suggestion, we can restrict the BJP to under 100 seats. If you don’t, you know what will happen,” Kumar said. The CM claimed his only goal was to work to unify the opposition to unseat the BJP from power. Accusing the BJP of conspiring to “break the country” by dividing people on religious lines, Kumar said, “They are desperate to rewrite history.”