Amid reports of growing dissent between ruling National Democratic Alliance partners the Janata Dal (U) and the Lok Janshakti Party in Bihar, the BJP president J.P. Nadda on Sunday asserted his party would contest the coming Bihar Assembly poll together with the JD(U) and the LJP. 

“We will fight together and emerge victorious as well,” asserted the BJP president while addressing the concluding session of the party’s two-day State executive committee virtual meeting.

“Jab-jab BJP-JD(U)-LJP ek saath Bihar mein chunav ladi hai, vijayi hue hain (whenever BJP-JD(U)-LJP have fought elections together in Bihar it has emerged victorious),” said Mr. Nadda. 

He further said that “BJP workers will have to add value not only to the BJP but also to our alliance partners”. 

“The Bihar BJP workers have to reach every section of society to convey the messages of PM Modi, Bharat and the works done by Nitish Kumar ji.” 

The BJP president’s assertion through the virtual meeting comes at a time when the JD(U) and the LJP are engaged in a bitter war of words.

 LJP president Chirag Paswan, of late, has been regularly attacking Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his government on several issues, triggering speculation that “all is not well with the NDA”. 

In his over half-an-hour address to Bihar BJP leaders and party workers, Mr. Nadda also praised the State government’s efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and the floods. 

He listed several welfare schemes and measures launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi government for the people of the country and Bihar as well during the pandemic.

“The Bihar package announced by PM Modi was implemented in letter and in spirit,” he said. He also mentioned the Patna Metro, the infrastructure development in Bihar and the good work done by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, during the COVID-19 crisis. 

“There are immense challenges during this pandemic time but we could reach out to people for their welfare and it has become an example for everyone.”

He also listed increased COVID-19 testing facilities, production of PPE kits in India, growing recovery rate of affected people in the country and Bihar, door-to- door screening in Bihar, PM’s Garib Kalyan Package, Jan–Dhan yojna, Atmanirbhar Bharat, welfare schemes for street vendors, farmers, migrant labourers, National Education Policy and Digital Health Mission (health card) and asked BJP workers to take this to all people in Bihar. 

“You’re the ambassadors of change,” Mr. Nadda told party workers while adding “People of Bihar have high hopes only from the BJP and the NDA”. 

‘Opposition a spent force’

He also slammed the Opposition saying, “it has become a spent force”. “The Opposition in Bihar has neither ideology, vision nor any spirit to serve people and it can’t rise above petty politics.” 

Assembly elections in the State are due in October-November later this year. 

Mr. Nadda also told party workers and leaders that “in this pandemic period only door-to-door campaign will be the most effective way to campaign for the upcoming poll”. 

Meanwhile, the BJP has scheduled a party programme from August 25 to October 2 to reach out to the people.