Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar endorsed the views of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for holding lok Sabha and State Assemblies election simultaneously and said that other elected institutions like urban bodies and Panchayat should also be held at the same time.
“It will be better to hold elections of all these institutions altogether to save public money and efforts of the administration. It is now experienced that for almost every year one election is held and entire administrative machinery remains involved apart from imposition of model code of conduct which halts all works,” said Nitish and added that he favoured simulteneous polls.
last week Bihar JD(U) president Bashistha Narain Singh had supported the views of Modi which created a misconception that Bihar was ready for Assembly polls one and half years ahead in 2019 with lok Sabha polls. Nitish said if there was a general consensus all election in the country could be held together. “All the elected bodies have a fixed term of five years and they should be allowed to complete their full term,” Nitish told media people on Monday.
At a different programme Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan said his party lJP too was in favour of simultaneous elections.
He said in case of no confidence in any House the party ior alliance in power should elect a new leader if fails to get trust vote instead of dissolution of the House.
On bringing the prices of petroleum products under GST, CM Nitish Kumar said there is need of agreement among all the States on this issue because different States have their own views and their own taxes which are their source of revenue. Saying that prices should be controlled he added that this matter was up to the GCT Council for a decision.
Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, who is chairman of the GST Council of the Finance Ministers of States, said that after the amendment in the Act the petroleum products come under the GST and the GST Council is empowered to take a call at an appropriate time.
Askled on Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s views on dynasty, Nitish said he was personally against dynasty but hastened to add that this culture had been generated from Congress and later on leaders of certain parties in Bihar and UP adopted it. However, he said that if any person belonging to family of any leader came up and performed better he or she be given opportunity to work without the tag of dynasty.
On Rohingia Muslims of Myanmar who are fleeing to Bangladesh and have taken refuge in certain parts of India, Nitish said his party JD(U) has not taken a stand on this issue. “Personally I feel that there should liberal and humanitarian stand on this issue because there ia humanitarian angle in this problem,” he added.