 "Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar")
Launching a veiled attack on the BJP-led NDA, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said those who will vote for them in the next year's Lok Sabha elections will bring destruction on themselves.
Kumar, who dumped the BJP in August last year and formed the Mahagathbandhan government, claimed that he has been working to forge opposition unity.
I am working towards forging opposition unity...but I am not a claimant for the prime minister's post. All opposition parties are united over forming an alliance against the BJP-led government at the Centre before the 2024 general elections," the JD(U) supremo said.
He was addressing party workers at a JD(U) office here on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the architect of India's Constitution.
"I must tell one thing that those who will vote for them (BJP) in the coming general elections will bring destruction on themselves and the country and those who will vote for us will ensure the well-being of themselves, the country and the state," Kumar said.
The chief minister claimed that his only goal was to work for "unifying the opposition to unseat the BJP from power".
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On several occasions in the past, Kumar said he was looking forward to play a positive role in forging opposition unity against the ruling NDA at the Centre.
I met several opposition leaders, including the Congress and the Left parties, in Delhi. We had very positive and constructive meetings...Now I will talk to other non-BJP parties and will go on a visit across the country," the CM said.
During his two-day visit to Delhi earlier this week, Kumar and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Kumar also held discussions with several other opposition leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Accusing the BJP of indulging in dividing society into religious lines, Kumar said that the "BJP is desperate to rewrite history and people know what they did during the freedom struggle".
"They had no contribution in the fight for the country's freedom. They are simply trying to spread hatred. They need to be wiped out from the entire country. People should remain alert about such forces," Kumar claimed.
The JD(U) leader also alleged that the "BJP-led government at the Centre has done nothing for the country or Bihar, other than propaganda".
"What happened to the special status of Bihar?" he asked.
Kumar also raised his voice of disapproval over central agencies' actions against the RJD, the largest constituent of the 'Mahagathbandhan' government in Bihar.
The central agencies are creating trouble for them (RJD leaders), after we came together to form a new government in the state. Similar actions are being initiated against non-BJP leaders in other states also," he said.
The Enforcement Directorate had on March 10 conducted searches in multiple cities of Bihar in connection with a money laundering probe into the land for jobs scam case in which RJD's national president Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi were questioned earlier by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Those who are spreading "hatred" must be punished, Kumar said.
Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar is the architect of the Constitution which gave rights to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections of the society. We should work for the unity of the country," he added.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
