Claiming to have support from minorities and the dominant Poorvanchalis in the Capital, Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said no Government in Delhi would be formed without its support. Flanked by Matia Mahal MlA Shoaib Iqbal joining his party, Kumar said the JD(U) would win significant number of seats in the December 4 polls that would be crucial for formation of the new Government in Delhi.
Iqbal, a four-time MlA from Matia Mahal Assembly, enjoys popularity among the masses and his inclusion in JD(U), Kumar said, would fortify the party’s prospects in the elections. The JD(U) had in 2008 contested the Assembly polls on 11 seats but failed to win either of them. Apart from Iqbal, four other Municipal Councillors from the Walled City — Aaley Mohammed (son of Shoaib), Khurram Iqbal (Shoaib’s nephew), Imaran Hussain and Rakesh Kumar — also joined JD(U) in the presence of Kumar and JD(U) president Sharad Yadav who also appointed him as the general secretary of the party. Iqbal had won the 2008 Assembly polls as a candidate of Ramvilas Paswan’s lJP, but later switched to Ajit Singh’s RlD two years later.
Alleging that migrants from UP and Bihar were deprived of their rights and basic amenities in the Capital, the Bihar CM said Poorvanchalis in Delhi would not accept ‘second-grade’ treatment any longer and that the JD(U) would fight for their rights. “Some people say that migrants are a burden on city infrastructure. As a matter of fact, they are shouldering the burden of the city. The migrants are crucial to the Capital’s daily life; if they strike work, the city would come to a grinding halt,” Kumar averred.