In Bihar, Shah takes a jibe at ‘power hungry’ JP followers

SITAB DIARA(CHHAPRA-BIHAR) : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a broadside against Nitish Kumar, saying the Bihar chief minister has not followed the principles of socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan as he (Nitish) switched sides five times to gain power. 

Shah unveiled a statue of JP at his native place at Sitab Diara in Saran district on the occasion of the late leader’s 120th birth anniversary. Without taking Nitish’s name, he said, “JP had no lust for power but his disciples occupied Congress’ lap for the sake of power. The socialist veteran had fought against the Congress throughout his life.”

Shah added: “Some politicians took the names of Ram Manohar Lohia and JP, but they partnered with Congress by deviating from the path shown by them and compromised with JP’s principles.” Stressing that the Narendra Modi government worked for the success of “total revolution” as visualised by JP, he accused the Congress of not doing anything in this regard. Shah heaped praise on JP, and said that while the leader participated in the Independence struggle and also worked with Vinoba Bhave, his biggest contribution was his movement against the Emergency imposed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi. Shah said, “JP worked for the landless, Dalits, backward classes, and socialism.”

He recalled that the students’ movement in Gujarat in 1973 had led to the dislodging of the then Chimanbhai Patel-led Congress government and subsequently a students’ movement was launched in Bihar too under JP’s leadership. 

“The speech made by JP in Gandhi Maidan (in Patna) made Indira Gandhi jittery,” Shah said. He recounted the days of Emergency when several leaders, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Morarji Desai and JP himself, were put behind bars. 

“But JP, who had managed to escape from Hazaribagh jail in 1942 could not be intimidated as he brought the Opposition together, and the first non-Congress government was formed with the participation of the then Bharatiya Jan Sangh,” he added at the event, which was also attended by UP CM Yogi Adityanath; Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal; Union ministers Nityanand Rai and Ashwani Choubey, and others.