Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Wednesday that the 2024 Lok Sabha election may happen before schedule. He said this during a programme of the rural works department in which he laid the foundation stone and inaugurated 5,061 projects worth ₹6,680.67 crore via video conferencing.
While instructing the officials to complete the work, Mr. Kumar said, “You people are claiming to complete the work by January 2024, but I will urge you to complete before that. The sooner it happens the better, because who knows when the elections will be held? Is it necessary that elections will be held next year itself? Who knows if elections would be held before time? So, act fast.”
The programme was held at 1, Aney Marg, the official residence of the Chief Minister in which Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav was also present. Earlier, Mr. Kumar said that he had worked in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government and he started the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana across the country.
Without taking the name of the BJP, Mr. Kumar said, “At the time of Atal ji, 100% fund was allotted by the Central government but the present government has divided in 60 and 40 ratios. Meaning, 60% will be received from the Centre and 40% will be given by the State government. However, If the facts are seen, then the expenditure has become 50-50.”
At the end of the programme, Mr. Kumar made a sarcastic remark that the Chief Secretary Aamir Subhani did not mention his name in his address but he (Mr. Kumar) always referred to Mr. Subhani.
“Looks like you don’t like my name that’s why you don’t take it but I always do,” Mr. Kumar said.
To this, Mr. Subhani said that due to lack of time he was unable to mention the Chief Minister’s name on previous occasions but he did so today. This made Mr. Kumar laugh.
