Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar addressed a meeting of party workers from across the state at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan. (File photo)
In a show of strength ahead of Assembly elections later in the year, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said the JD(U) would contest the polls with NDA and win more than 200 seats. Bihar has 243 Assembly seats.
Kumar also launched a scathing attack on the Opposition, saying that RJD and Congress only sought votes of the minorities while JD(U) worked for their upliftment.
Addressing a meeting of party workers from across the state at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on his 69th birthday, Kumar said, “We will contest Bihar Assembly Elections with NDA and win more than 200 seats. Law and order has improved and the ratio of crimes to population is among the lowest in the country in Bihar.”
Kumar also highlighted that the JD(U)-BJP government in the state ensured justice for Bhagalpur riot victims by bringing the guilty to book. The JD(U) has come up with the slogan “2020 (Do hazaar bees), phir se Nitish”, an obvious response to the RJD’s slogan “2020, finish Nitish.”
The meeting at Gandhi Maidan saw the participation of booth presidents and secretaries from across the state.
Kumar also underscored that the state assembly had already passed a unanimous resolution against the NRC and the NPR and “patience” should be kept regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act and “controversies” avoided since the matter was before the court.
“As far as NPR (National Population Register) is concerned, it will be on the basis of 2010 format and we have also passed the resolution in the State Legislative Assembly,” Nitish said.
Last week, the state Assembly passed a resolution against implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) — the first NDA state to do so — and in favour of the National Population Register (NPR) exercise only under the 2010 format which did not include questions relating to the date of birth and place of parents and last residential address of the individual.
Interestingly, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, who on January 4 announced that the NPR exercise in the state would be conducted between May 15 and May 28, was present in the House Tuesday when the resolution was adopted unanimously.