E-Paper
BJP, JD(U) to compete on 'Bihar model' in UP polls
After failing to firm up a pre-poll arrangement for Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, NDA allies BJP and JD(U) are competing with each other to sell the 'Bihar model' of development to garner votes.
After failing to firm up a pre-poll arrangement for Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, NDA allies BJP and JD(U) are competing with each other to sell the 'Bihar model' of development to garner votes.
BJP, in its vision document for UP polls, has highlighted the governance of the BJP-JD(U) coalition government in Bihar, especially focussing on infrastructure development, and promised to replicate it in UP if it comes to power.
"BJP has equal share in the success of Bihar model of development and hence has the right to highlight it," BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain told PTI.
He was responding when asked why BJP was projecting Bihar's development in Uttar Pradesh when the party was contesting separately from JD(U) in the state.
However, this projection by BJP does not appear to have gone down well with its ally JD(U).
"Since they (BJP) have chosen Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as their star campaigner, it would have been better if BJP had talked about Gujarat model," said K C Tyagi, JD(U) general secretary and close confidante of party President Sharad Yadav.
He said the success of the Bihar model was mainly due to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and that he expected his party to benefit by highlighting Bihar's good governance.
He said Nitish Kumar would be campaigning for the party candidates in Uttar Pradesh.
JD(U) MP Ali Anwar, the Muslim face of the party, said BJP had got the Muslim votes in Bihar because of Nitish Kumar but the same advantage would not be there for it in Uttar Pradesh where the two parties are contesting separately.
