Bihar: BJP, JD(U) lock horn over venue for Karpoori Jayanti function

The BJP said allotting the Miller School ground earmarked for the party for January 24 to the JD(U) is murder of democracy

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said any attempt to cancel the Miller School ground allotted to the party for the Karpoori Jayanti programme on January 24 and to allot it to the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) would force the party to organise the event on the road.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar paying tribute to Karpoori Thakur in February 2023. (File Photo)

“Allotting the ground earmarked for the BJP on January 24 to the JD-U is murder of democracy. The government is doing it to create an ugly situation. If the JD-U does not vacate it, the BJP will organise its function on the Veer Chand Patel Marg in front of the offices of the JD-U and the RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal),” said Bihar BJP president Samrat Choudhary at a Press Conference on the Miller School ground.

“The JD-U says that it has got the ground allotted for January 23 for stay. If it is so, why is the pandaal being erected today and under which rule. This is happening under the influence of the RJD. When Lalu Prasad is there, one cannot expect anything different. Lalu Prasad has hijacked Nitish Kumar, just as he had hijacked Karpoori Thakur,” he added.

Bihar minister Ashok Choudhary, on the other hand, said that allotment of the ground was done by the district administration, and he was not aware of it.

Karpoori Jayanti is always a big political event organised by different political parties to woo the votes of the extremely backward classes (EBCs), which constitute the largest population share in the state.

This year it is important as it is the 100th birth anniversary of the great socialist leader and former chief minister Karpoori Thakur, who was called Jan Nayak. The JD-U, RJD, Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist or CPI-ML have also planned big functions on Karpoori Jayanti.