Modi attacks Nitish, calls him ''arrogant''
Banka (Bihar), October 2
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar an “arrogant” man who could not be “trusted” to govern Bihar.
Addressing his first rally in Bihar since the Election Commission of India declared five-phase Assembly elections in the state, Modi accused the incumbent government of working against the state’s best interests.
"Some people are raising questions on the Rs 1.65 lakh crore package announced by me. They are asking whether it will come or not. Should a single rupee be given to the present government. Will it reach you? Even if I give it, he (Nitish) is so arrogant that he may even return it. I am worried that even if I gave the Rs 1.65 lakh crore to the state, he will announce that he does not require this money as it has been given by Modi. I cannot trust him," he said, hinting at how Kumar had turned down the Rs 5 crore relief package that Gujarat government had offered to Bihar after Kosi floods in 2010.
"Nobody can trust him after what he did to Jitan Ram Manjhi. People of Bihar cannot trust him. I cannot trust him. Can you trust him, Jitan Ram Manjhi?” he asked, looking at the former CM, who sat on stage. Manjhi, a former member of the JD (U) who had to give in to party’s pressure earlier this year to quit the chief minister’s position, only laughed in reply.
Modi promised to address the unemployment problem in the state, which he claimed would be solved once Bihar developed.
He also claimed the NDA Government at the Centre had sanctioned several schemes for Bihar.
“The Central Government has emptied its coffers for Bihar's development, and this is no favour... This is not modi’s money. It belongs to Bihar and its peoples' right,” he said.
He also asked youngsters to cast their votes in large numbers, stressing that Bihar's development was linked to the country's progress.
Citing a World Bank report on ease of doing business, he said that Bihar continues remain at the 27th place among Indian states unlike Jharkhand — a state that has had BJP governments after bifurcation in 2000 — which has currently moved up from 29th to 3rd place.
“A delegation of Bihari people had come to meet me in America. I also met people from Bihar who are there. We had a very long discussion... I was so proud of them. However, despite their progress, what they wanted was to see a progressive Bihar,” Modi, who just returned from his week-long visit to the US, said.
Modi claimed Bihar’s progress was a marker of India’s progress.
“You take the decision once, I will always stand by you. I promise I will be ready to serve Bihar all the time and will prove that that the change in the country will begin from Bihar.We have to take Bihar to new heights. That is why I have come here to seek your votes on development and law and order," he said.
"Violence never solves any problem. It is the need of the hour to shun the path of violence and join the mainstream... Bullet breeds destruction while the ballot brings out development," he said.
Modi, however, choose not to mention reservation in his speech, instead focusing on development. The Bharatiya Janata Party has remained on the defensive since RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat remarked last month that it was time to review the state’s reservation policy. The remarks had caused uproar in the country.
Modi’s speech also made no mention of RJD chief Lau Prasad Yadav, Nitish Kumar’s foe-turned-ally who has repeatedly targeted the PM and BJP chief Amit Shah on communalism. — PTI
