Hours before the campaign for the last and third phase of polling in Bihar ends on Thursday, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan lashed out at Janata Dal-United (JD-U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Mr. Paswan said Mr. Kumar would “stand with folded hands and head bowed before Tejashwi Yadav (Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly) after November 10 when the poll results will be out”.
The LJP chief also said that he was not in the race for the chief minister’s post in the State but asserted that a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-LJP government would be formed in the State after November 10.
“The same Prime Minister, whom you [Nitish Kumar] were, earlier, never tired of arguing with or criticising but are happy to share stage with him today and bow before him, as he asks votes for you? This shows your greed for power and for the chief minister’s post…after November 10, when the Assembly results will be out, you will be bowing before Tejashwi Yadav or, if need be, will go to Ranchi to seek blessings of RJD chief Lalu Prasad (jailed Rashtriya Janata Dal president),” Mr. Chirag Paswan junior told a news agency on Thursday.
Also read: Comment | Shifting gears in Bihar
LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan, father of Chirag Paswan, passed away recently after an illness.
“This lust for power is not going to leave him (Nitish Kumar) and what we may witness, after the results are out, is Nitish Kumar standing before Tejashwi Yadav, just like he is standing before PM Modi these days,” charged Mr. Chirag Paswan, who has fielded his party’s candidates against JD(U) nominees but supports BJP candidates.
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) President Chirag Paswan is garlanded by his party supporters during an election rally at Kadwa in Katihar district, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020.
However, Mr. Modi and other BJP leaders have repeatedly said during the poll campaign in the State that the LJP was not part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar, apparently to dispel confusion among NDA workers at ground level.
The LJP president has been attacking Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for quite some time.
On October 28, when the first phase of polling took place in Bihar, Chirag Paswan had tweeted: “He (Nitish Kumar) has done preparations to leave the BJP and go with the RJD after elections.”
Also read: LJP will win more seats than JD(U) in Bihar polls: Chirag
On November 3, Mr. Paswan said that he “could give it in writing that Nitish Kumar will never be the Chief Minister of the State again”. Mr. Paswan has also said that his main focus would be “Bihar first, Bihari first”.
On Thursday, he again took on Mr. Kumar, alleging he was the “weakest Chief Minister”.
“You cannot do any work on your own…nor ensure development in the State…you only make excuses that this will be done by the Centre or that someone else will do…if everyone else will do the work then for what are you on the chair [of CM]?” he asked.
