The BJP today challenged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar "to prove" when Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised that Rs 15 lakh will be deposited in every Indian's bank account once all the black money stashed in foreign countries is brought back.
"I am challenging Kumar to prove when and where the Prime Minister said that Rs 15 lakh will be deposited in every person's bank account once all the black money is recovered," senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said.
Modi said Kumar continuously attributed such a falsity to the PM and kept harping on it without any proof. "What the Prime Minister had said that there was so much black money stashed abroad that it was enough to make roads to connect all villages, install hand-pumps and provide basic amenities to everybody. But, Kumar twisted it wrongly," Modi added.
Modi was speaking while sharing the dais with lJP chief and Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan at Hindustan Samagam programme, organised by a vernacular daily to set the agenda for the upcoming assembly elections. Slamming Kumar further, the senior BJP leader said he went against the public mandate against RJD chief lalu Prasad just to go against Narendra Modi.
"Kumar was given the mandate to check the 'jungle raj' (rule of forest) of Prasad, but he shook hands with him just to go against Narendra Modi. The public is much aware about things. It will ask him why he did so and betrayed their trust," he said.
Modi, who is also the leader of Opposition in Bihar legislative Council, challenged the Bihar CM to name any new scheme or achievement by him after he broke away from NDA in June 2013.
"The scheme to provide bicycle to school children, betterment of law and order, construction of roads and several other development activities happened during our time when NDA was ruling the state.
We take equal credit for them," he said. He further elaborated that "only a Captain of the force is not needed for success. The Army should be equally good." On the law and order count, he said the "situation is worsening" as proved in the recent mass copying in class 10 board exams.
Rejecting insinuations that the assembly elections will be contested on the black money issue or Centre's policies, he said the polls will be fought on state-specific issues in which Kumar and Prasad both will have to submit their accounts on governance to the public.
"Black money is not an issue for assembly elections. It will be fought on the agenda of law and order, development and governance. Kumar and Prasad will have to submit their accounts to the public," Modi said.
He also pointed out that the Prime Minister will submit his account after four years when the lok Sabha polls come. The senior leader added that the BJP will not seek votes on the basis of caste and asserted that people from all categories and classes were with the party, just like they were during the lok Sabha polls.
Sushil Modi also stated that the saffron party threw its lot behind former Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi "to avenge the insult meted out to mahadalits" and expose the drama of Kumar who had resigned after JD(U) fared poorly in the lok Sabha polls.