Soon after being formally elected national president of JD(U) on Saturday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar went hammer and tongs against the rival BJP and accused it of deceiving the people to whom it had promised the moon but added that people could not be fooled all the time.
Nitish was officially crowned as national president of the JD(U) by the party’s National Council held at the SK Memorial Hall and attended by the representatives from other States too. Nitish had been selected as president replacing Sharad Yadav at the meeting of the party’s National Executive in New Delhi on April 10. “Nitish Kumar’s election as national president was formally endorsed by the party leaders and workers from across the country at the National Council meeting,” said party general secretary KC Tyagi.
Nitish’s name was proposed by outgoing president Sharad Yadav which was seconded by all present in the jam packed hall. At the National Executive meeting too Yadav had proposed his name. Bihar JD(U) chief Bashistha Narain Singh said party leaders from 28 States attended the meeting. “With Nitish at the helm of party affairs, the JD(U) will play a more active role in national politics in coming days,” Singh added.
Nitish in his address, accused the BJP of pumping huge money during the October-November 2015 Assembly polls only to defeat him, but its leaders as well as the poll pundits and political analysts on TV channels, who had no knowledge of ground realities, failed to read the writings on the wall and mood of the public.
Nitish said, “Derogatory language was used against me and we faced aggressive attack but I did not cross the limit and restrained myself from replying to them in the same coin.”
Nitish urged the Election Commission to take notice of the claims of the so-called agency which on result day claimed lead of the NDA much before the counting was started.
He said all the attacks by the top leaders of the BJP backfired. They raked up jungle raj slogan and also accused RJD chief lalu Prasad and Congress leadership but nothing worked, he added. “Even today they are trying their level best to create rift among the grand alliance partners. When lalu ji says something they try to find out variant meanings and when he does not say anything, they say he is unhappy with me,” the party chief said.
Nitish also took potshots at the CMs of neighbouring States particularly Jharkhand for allowing new liquor shops on the border areas to increase their revenue. He said when he implemented total prohibition he was hopeful to get support from the neighbouring States but it happened just contrary. He said license were being given to open new liquor outlets in the areas bordering Bihar. “I will soon visit Jharkhand and lucknow at the invitation of the pro-prohibition groups. If Bihar can implement prohibition why not the State likes UP, Jharkhand and West BengalIJ” he said.