Launching a blistering attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, State BJP president Samrat Choudhary on May 20 said he (Mr. Kumar) has been plundering Bihar for the past 18 years. Mr. Choudhary also mocked at the Nitish government’s ambitious prohibition policy and said it was Mr. Kumar who was responsible for opening liquor shops in every panchayat, and delivering liquor to every doorstep, but “now he has prohibited liquor in the State”.
“Nitish Kumar has been plundering Bihar for the past 18 years. Earlier, their alliance partner Rashtriya Janata Dal [RJD] had looted the State for 15 years”, charged Mr. Choudhary while addressing the party’s State working committee meeting at Kisan Bhawan in Patna.
Mr. Choudhary also said, “Nitish Kumar has brought the State’s economic condition to such a phase where, if there was not a Narendra Modi government [at the Centre], even paying salaries to State government employees would be difficult.”
“It was the Modi government which had given money for Har Ghar Nal Yojana [tap water to every household] but, the Nitish government took away that money, not directly but through other means,” blamed Mr. Choudhary.
With the general elections just a year away, Mr. Choudhary who comes from the Other Backward Class (OBC) Koeri community, also took on the Nitish government over the law and order situation. “Law and order in Bihar has failed. Everyday 20-25 murders are taking place”. He further slammed the previous RJD government and said “Lalu Prasad had given jobs to only his family members and cheated Bihar”.
He further said, “Until the double-engine government is formed, Bihar could not be developed. And we will form the BJP government at the Centre in 2024 and in the State in 2025”.
Mr. Choudhary appealed to party workers to reach out at the booth level to “make the party stronger.” “If we win booths, we’ll win the election”, he quipped. The State BJP chief also listed welfare schemes and steps undertaken by the Modi government for the poor in Bihar. “The poor got houses, their bank accounts were opened and the farmers are now getting Samman Nidhi [₹6,000 per year].”
Other senior BJP leaders from the State including Sushil Kumar Modi, Ashwani Choubey, and R.C.P. Singh, who recently joined the party, too slammed the Nitish government on several issues and appealed to party workers and local leaders to reach out to people as much as they could at the booth level to win elections in 2024 and 2025.
The event was earlier scheduled to take place at Urja Bhawan in the State capital but for some reason the BJP’s booking was cancelled. It was eventually held at the Kishan Bhawan in Patna on Saturday. “The State government intentionally cancelled the Urja Bhawan booking at the eleventh hour. We did not know Nitish government will stoop to such a low”, charged several leaders.
