Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, October 20
The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are playing card close to their chest on the “role” of LJP President Chirag Paswan in the Bihar state polls that has put Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a fix.
On Tuesday, Chirag too kept the Nitish Kumar in suspense over his (Chirag) ties with the BJP. He claimed LJP fielded five candidates in friendly contests against the BJP candidates. This was done in consultation with the top BJP leaders, he claimed, stirring the political cauldron in Bihar.
State leadership of BJP is repeatedly claiming that the LJP has no ties with them in the Bihar assembly elections. LJP has fielded rebel BJP leaders as its candidates.
BJP president J P Nadda, who is in the state and addressed two election meetings at Ara and Buxar on Tuesday did not clarify the stand of his party on LJP. He did not mention LJP or Chirag even once, indicating BJP’s silence on LJP was no assurance to the BJP candidates in the field.
Chirag issued series of tweets. He said LJP has collected views of four lakh Biharis on development of Bihar and the Bihar development vision would be made public tomorrow, when he would start campaign after 13-days of mourning in the family. Chirag also appealed to his supporters to listen to the PM’s address to the nation by observing social distancing.
Chirag in another tweet predicted LJP would get more seats than the JDU in the elections for which results would be announced on November 10.
LJP president declared he would oppose any suggestion of BJP to re-elect Nitish Kumar as leader of the legislature party next month. If BJP insisted on Nitish, he would himself announce exit from NDA as people of Bihar do not want Nitish as their CM again.”If BJP is keen on retaining Nitish, he should be made union minister, but not the CM.”
Chirag in another tweet said in the last five years, only officers ruled. The bureaucrats rule would be over once the BJP man becomes chief minister in Bihar with LJP support. Nitish Kumar humiliated Biharis through his corrupt officers.
He claimed the much publicised seven resolves of Nitish Kumar had failed and people did not get any benefit, but the officers only benefitted. Chirag had alleged the BJP state leaders were made to speak against him (Chirag) at the behest of Nitish Kumar.
In the evening, Chirag touched the feet of Nitish when chief minister visited LJP headquarters to attend the condolence meeting for Ram Vilas Paswan.
