PATNA, March 30: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar assured Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday that he would “never again” ditch the BJP, having done so “twice by mistake”.
With assembly elections barely a few months away, the JD(U) president’s averment came at a function in Patna where Shah and he unveiled several projects of the Centre and the state.
Shah, a former BJP president, had given a pep talk to the cadre late Saturday night, when he is said to have asserted “our victory in Bihar will resonate far and wide”.
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Widely regarded as the BJP’s principal strategist, Shah is likely to wind up his two-day tour later in the day with a brainstorming session at Kumar’s place, where other NDA constituents are also expected.
At the function in the state capital, Shah was visibly warm towards Kumar.
The JD(U) president seemed chuffed as he told the gathering, “This sprawling auditorium has been filled beyond capacity”.
He was greeted with roars of “Jai Shri Ram”, in an obvious indication of the overwhelming presence of BJP cadre at the event, but the leader, proud of his “secular” credentials, took it in his stride.
“What did the ones in power before (RJD-Congress combine) do? They used to get votes of Muslims but could never put a stop to clashes between communities,” he said.
“There was no healthcare in Bihar worth the name. No good educational facilities. We came to power in November 2005 and things started to look up,” claimed Kumar, recalling the ascent to power in the state of the JD(U)-BJP combine.
A BJP ally since the mid-90s, Kumar split with the party in 2014, only to realign three years later.
In 2022, he again parted ways, vowing to dislodge the BJP from power at the Centre and bring together parties from across the country to form the INDIA bloc.
However, ahead of last year’s Lok Sabha polls, the JD(U) supremo did yet another volte face and was back in the NDA.
In his speech, Kumar blamed his break-ups with the BJP on “some people in my own party” but asserted, “I committed the mistake twice. But it is going to be never again”. (PTI)
