PATNA: BJP national president
Amit Shah put to rest all speculations over rift in
Bihar NDA on Thursday declaring that the upcoming assembly elections in the state will be fought under the leadership of JD (U) national president and CM
Nitish Kumar. Shah said the alliance is firm and any bickering is only among lower-level workers.
“The alliance between JD (U) and BJP is “atal (unshakable)”. The NDA will contest the next assembly elections in Bihar under the leadership of Nitish Ji. Nationally, PM
Narendra Modi will continue to lead the collation,” Shah had said in an interview to a TV channel.
Shah’s statement was welcomed by JD (U) functionaries. JD(U) general secretary and state industries minister Shyam Rajak made a series of tweets to thank Shah.
“I would like to thank the top eldership of BJP including @AmitShah1 @narendramodi for dispelling the doubts in many people’s mind by asserting that next assembly elections in Bihar will be fought under the leadership of @NitishKumar. It is a slap on the face of the opposition which was enjoying such speculations (of recent bickering),” Rajak tweeted.
LJP chief
Ram Vilas Paswan, too, said at Samastipur, where he is canvassing for his nephew Prince Raj for the bypolls, that there was never any rift in the NDA in Bihar.
The speculations of rift in Bihar NDA have been doing the rounds since the second term of the NDA government at the Centre began in May this year under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. Ahead of the swearing-in, JD (U) had refused to accept BJP’s offer of only one ministerial berth in the Union Cabinet as it intended to have two of its parliamentarians at the Centre. Later, the Nitish- government also expanded its cabinet in Bihar in June but none of the newly inducted ministers were from BJP.
Such developments fuelled the speculation on rift in Bihar NDA, but senior BJP functionary and deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi maintained that the next assembly elections in Bihar to be held in late 2020, will be fought under the leadership of Nitish.