Against the backdrop of the Opposition’s claim to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP on Thursday responded that the era of “short-lived” coalition Governments was over and the country now wanted a strong and stable Government at the Centre.
The party also hit-out at the recent cases of crimes in Bihar and alleged involvement of some of the state ministers in criminal cases to claim that criminals have become "fearless" after the grand alliance headed by Nitish Kumar came to power in the state following the JD(U)’s split with the BJP.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is being projected by JDU and RJD as the PM candidate vis-Ã -vis Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the next Lok Sabha polls which are only about 18 months away.
Reacting to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's comments that the change of government in Bihar was a “positive sign” to provide a strong alternative at the Centre, former Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the era of the likes of V P Singh and H D Deve Gowda, who headed short-lived coalition governments, was gone and the country now wanted stability, development and effective leadership. In an interview, Yadav had also claimed that the BJP's allies in Uttar Pradesh are not happy with the saffron party and will also break free in the future.
"People of India know that the era of Deve Gowda, I K Gujral and V P Singh is gone. The country now wants stability, development, honesty and effective leadership.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has provided it and enhanced India's prestige," Prasad said in a retort to the SP leader. He said 2024 is far away and it remains to be seen how much understanding develops among opposition parties.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Telangana Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao are other two leaders being seen as Prime Ministerial candidates, besides Nitish Kumar. It is also speculated in the political circles that opposition may try to settle for a single opposition nominee for Prime Minister in the run-up to 2024.
Taking on to the Nitish-led-‘Mahagathbandhan’, Prasad pointed out that two persons, a class 12 girl student and a solider, were shot dead in Patna, his Lok Sabha constituency, in the last 24 hours. "The state is returning to jungle raj," he alleged.
Prasad also lashed-out at the newly constituted Bihar government over the row involving Bihar minister Kartikeya Singh's who is reported to have kidnapping case with an outstanding warrant against him and alleged the state's agriculture minister was earlier linked to a rice scam.
Singh has been inducted in the Nitish cabinet as law minister. Singh's lawyer has maintained that the police investigation had found no evidence against him.
Prasad , a former Union law minister, however, rejected the claim saying the Patna High Court had in 2017 dismissed the RJD leader's plea for anticipatory bail by noting that the complaint's statement highlights his role in the abduction.
The BJP leader said the court had asked him to surrender and to apply for regular bail and accused the police of trying to save him after the JD(U)-RJD-Congress formed the government.
In a swipe at the Bihar CM after one of his party MLAs, Bima Bharti, questioned him for the induction of Leshi Singh as a minister, he said infighting has begun within the party.