Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has been trying to forge “opposition unity” after his exit from the NDA, on Thursday promised special status, which he is seeking for “all backward states” for his state. are. Kumar, the de facto leader of the JD(U), who had snapped ties with the BJP last month accusing it of trying to sabotage his party, said this in response to a question from journalists on the sidelines of a function here.
“If we get a chance to form the next government at the Centre, all the backward states will get special category status. There is no reason why this cannot be done,” said Kumar, who is now ruling the state as part of a seven-party alliance of RJD, Congress and Left. Notably, Kumar has been demanding special status to Bihar for nearly two decades, citing loss of revenue and mineral wealth on the creation of Jharkhand. He has on several occasions shown a willingness to “support any government at the Centre” meeting the demand.
The JD(U) leader, who met several prominent political figures to protest against the BJP in Delhi last week, also took a dig at his former ally for distancing MLAs belonging to the Congress in Goa. Responding to a question about development in the western coastal state, he said, without explicitly mentioning money changing hands, “It is well known who tries to distance people from other parties and what means are employed.” “
Reiterating that his long alliance with the BJP was a “mistake”, Kumar claimed that his side with the opposition camp had upset the saffron party, causing its leaders to speak “irresponsibly” against him. He took a dig at his former deputy Sushil Kumar Modi for being “sidelined despite sharing a surname with the prime minister” and slammed Union minister Giriraj Singh for his provocative remarks about the firing incident in Begusarai, the latter’s Lok Sabha constituency.
“These people are expecting something from their (BJP’s) top leadership as a reward for attacking me. He is welcome to do so,” commented Kumar, who has been the longest-serving chief minister of Bihar. The CM said he was getting “regular updates” regarding the sensational incident in Begusarai in which one person was killed and several were injured, and expressed confidence that soon the culprits would be identified and nabbed. will be taken.
Kumar, who was praised by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for quitting the BJP during a recent visit here, was also asked about similar words of praise from West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee. The Bihar Chief Minister, who recently revealed that he had spoken to the TMC chief over phone, replied with just a smile and folded hands.
Widely seen as a “secular alternative” that could challenge the charismatic Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kumar is dismissing himself as a “contender for the top post”. However, speculation remains about him being one of the most acceptable faces in the event of a hung House in the next Lok Sabha elections.
read all Latest Politics News And today’s fresh news Here