PATNA: JD(U) president
Nitish Kumar on Monday backed fellow NDA ally and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan for his remarks that BJP’s defeat in bypolls in UP and
Bihar was a cause of concern and the alliance needed to take along all sections of the society the way
Congress ruled the country for decades by “building an inclusive society”.
Urging NDA to follow its ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ slogan in letter and spirit, Union minister Paswan had said on Saturday: “NDA needs to take along all sections of the society. Congress also ruled the country for several decades by building an inclusive society.”
When reporters asked
Nitish to comment on Paswan’s remarks, he said: “I support what he said. He met me on Saturday night and we discussed certain issues. We should respect his views.”
Without naming anyone, Nitish said he would neither compromise with corruption nor side with divisive politics of any party.
He gave details of schemes initiated by his government to point that no government had done so much for the minorities. “My party and I have a stand on the issue of social harmony. I will never support divisive politics. Nor will I compromise with corruption,” he said.
Nitish didn’t answer queries from mediapersons on Union minister Giriraj Singh’s allegations that anti-India slogans were raised in
Araria after the victory of RJD in the parliamentary bypoll last week.
He rejected RJD’s charge that he had forgotten his demand for special category status for Bihar after allying with NDA even as TDP has severed ties with the alliance in the backdrop of a similar demand for Andhra. Nitish said he had not given up the demand “for even a single day” since he first raised it 12 years back.
“People who never raised the issue are asking questions about my alleged ‘silence’. I am amused. Do I need to speak on the same issue every day?” he said.
He said he had written to the then PM for special status for Bihar in 2006, shortly after assuming power. “We later got a resolution unanimously passed in the state legislature,” he added.
