Nitish responsible for Bihar mess, says Amit Shah

The Kumar-Sushil Modi NDA duo was doing well, but it was solely because of Kumar’s soaring ambition and personal ego to become prime minister that the symphony was disturbed, putting Bihar in such a mess says Amit Shah, BJP national president

Setting the tone for Bihar elections, BJP national president Amit Shah on Friday trained his guns on former chief minister Nitish Kumar for taking a U-turn on Socialist principles and joining hands with the Congress against which Jannayak Karpoori Thakur had fought a battle throughout his political career.

Challenging Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Shah said there was no doubt that the BJP's victory march 'would not be impeded' in Bihar . "The BJP will form government in Bihar with full majority," he asserted.

"The writing on the wall is loud and clear: The BJP will win over 185 seats and form its government," he said during his maiden visit to the state after becoming the party's president.

In a significant move, Shah spared chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, mentioning his name not even once during his hour-long speech at the Veterinary college grounds where the EBC party workers had congregated to celebrate late Socialist and mass leader, Karpoori Thakur anniversary.

He did, however, blame the deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar, but held Kumar responsible for the mess.

“The Kumar-Modi (read Sushil Kumar Modi) NDA duo was doing well, but it was solely because of Kumar’s soaring ambition and personal ego to become prime minister that the symphony was disturbed, putting Bihar in such a mess,” the BJP chief said.

He warned, “The situation is bound to deteriorate further as Kumar has joined hands with Lalu Prasad, against whom he had fought elections to defeat ‘Jungle Raj’ to become the CM on two occasions with the help of the BJP.”

Without mincing words, he said the BJP had accorded Kumar the status of a ‘’Big Brother’’ with the intention to rid Bihar of RJD’s ‘’Jungle Raj” and to defeat the Congress. “Lekin ahankar me akar unhone BJP ki shakti ko nahi samjha aur janata ki mandate ke saath dhoka kiya (But he became so arrogant as to misread BJP’s upsurge in the country and betrayed Bihar’s mandate,” he said.

Continuing his tirade, Shah said with the ambition to become the chief minister again, Kumar has sought refuge in Lalu Prasad’s RJD. “But we will checkmate his ambition to save Bihar from a return of Jungle Raj again,” he said, while seeking EBC support to develop Bihar in the next five years.

In an endeavour to convey a clear-cut message to the EBC’s, Shah said it was no other party but the Jan Sangh, which had helped their leader (Karpoori Thakur) to become the chief minister of Bihar. On the other hand, his so called successors dumped Jan Nayak’s policies and programmes to cling to power-the RJD doing so first and now the JD(U) following suit”, he said.

Apparently to remove the misgivings about the recovery of black money from foreign banks, Shah said the Centre has initiated significant measures to bring back the money to India. In his first cabinet, Narendra Modi set up SIT and helped for 'world leaders’ opinion against black money. “What the Modi government has done in this regard, no previous government could do,” he claimed.

Reacting to RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s criticism of Narendra Modi government for failing to stop firing and infiltration at the borders with Pakistan, Shah said, “Either Prasad’s eyesight is weak or he has coloured vision. There is a marked difference in the situation under the UPA regime and the present NDA government,” he said.

He said, “Earlier, Pakistan used to start and end firings at the borders. But now though the firings are star ted by Pakistan, it stops because of India’s firm response. “Is it not a different situation,” he asked.

In an effort to sell the “Modi brand”, Shah, who was flanked by senior BJP leaders Sushil Kumar Modi and Nand Kishore Yadav, said in the seven months rule of the NDA government at the Centre, petrol and diesel prices were reduced at least on 11 occasions and concrete steps were taken to check price rise. “It is for the first time in 66 years that a large number of the poor have personal bank accounts,” he said while referring to the Jan-Dhan Yojana.

He declared that because of the PM’s make-in India scheme, 3000 foreign companies had showed their intention to invest in the country. Similarly, by setting up the skill development department, the PM wanted to hone the skill of country’s youth, he said.

Shah claimed, that after November 2015, when the BJP government is formed in Bihar, the state would get round-theclock power supply. “We will sign MOUs with power companies to ensure 24x7 energy supply,” he added.

Earlier, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said the Jan Sangh had played an important role in making Karpoori Thakur the chief minister of the state. “Not once but twice the Jan Sangh did so,” he said emphatically.

State BJP chief Mangal Pandey and leader of opposition in the Bihar assembly, Nand Kishore Yadav too targeted Nitish Kumar for ‘betraying’ the Jan Nayak.

In a major departure from earlier meetings, the national president of the par ty addressed the gathering after four speakers had taken the dais.