Bettiah, Bihar:
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Wednesday claimed that JD(U) president Nitish Kumar will contest the upcoming meeting polls in Bihar in alliance with the BJP however might swap sides later, with hopes for one more time period because the chief minister.
The Jan Suraaj Celebration founder, who was addressing a press convention in West Champaran district, nevertheless, additionally asserted that the 74-year-old chief had grown too unpopular to get pleasure from a fifth consecutive time period in workplace “irrespective of which alliance he turns into part of”.
“Anyone can change into the chief minister in November, after the meeting elections are over, besides Nitish Kumar. You may take it from me in writing. If I’m confirmed incorrect then I’ll hand over my very own political marketing campaign,” Mr Kishor mentioned.
About speculations that Mr Kumar might stop the NDA forward of the meeting polls, in view of the BJP’s obvious reluctance to declare him because the chief ministerial candidate, the previous election strategist mentioned, “He’ll contest in alliance with the BJP. He has at all times accomplished so, barring the elections of 2015, once I had dealt with his marketing campaign.” Mr Kishor additionally claimed that the BJP was cautious of declaring Mr Kumar because the chief ministerial candidate of the NDA due to his declining reputation.
“I problem Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union House Minister Amit Shah to declare that Nitish Kumar would be the chief minister for a full five-year time period after the elections (if the NDA involves energy). In the event that they achieve this, the BJP will discover it arduous to win seats,” Mr Kishor mentioned.
The previous JD(U) nationwide vice chairman, who was expelled from the social gathering in 2020 following a spat with Mr Kumar, additionally claimed that the ruling social gathering was “going to do very badly” (within the polls).
“Nitish Kumar might strive switching sides after it turns into clear to him that the BJP was not going to again him for one more time period in workplace. However the variety of seats gained by JD(U) could be so dismal that he wouldn’t get the highest job, irrespective of which formation he joins,” Mr Kishor predicted.
The 47-year-old politician additionally alleged that Nitish Kumar was “bodily drained and mentally retired”, claiming, “Not me, however the late BJP chief Sushil Kumar Modi had acknowledged that Nitish Kumar suffers from a severe psychological sickness. I’ve been difficult him for lengthy to spell out the names of ministers in his personal cupboard, with out a bit of paper. He can’t inform the identify of the district he’s touring except prompted by officers. It’s unlucky that with such a mind-set, he’s ruling Bihar.” He additionally maintained that Mr Kumar had “introduced disrepute to Bihar by touching the toes of Modi final yr, within the presence of many different chief ministers, when the brand new Union authorities was being sworn in.”
“If he has a lot of reverence for the PM, he may have touched the latter’s toes in non-public. However he’s resorting to sycophancy merely to maintain himself within the chair. Why does he not use his clout with the BJP, which is now depending on JD(U)’s assist to outlive in energy on the Centre, to revive the moribund sugar trade in Bihar?” Mr Kishor requested.
He mentioned the Jan Suraaj Celebration will enter the fray in a bid to drag Bihar “out of the political rut which has been held hostage for many years by Kumar and his arch-rival Lalu Prasad, the RJD president”.
In fact, the BJP and the Congress, which had helped the RJD survive in powers for a few years, share the blame for Bihar’s plight, he alleged.
Criticising the state’s much-touted prohibition coverage, Mr Kishor mentioned that the ban on liquor in Bihar is yet one more instance of the BJP’s duplicity.
“Why does it (BJP) not ask Yogi Adityanath in adjoining Uttar Pradesh and chief ministers of different states dominated by it to declare the identical? In different states, they’re speaking about progress and investments, and in Bihar, they assume nothing extra is required than 5 kg of free ration and ‘sharaab-bandi’,” he added.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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