SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, May 10: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today shrugged off controversial issues of domicile and corruption plaguing his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren. Instead, he recalled how he had become the chief minister of Bihar for the first time with the support of his father Shibu Soren in 2000 in a bid to underline his long-standing relationship with the JMM.
Nitish was here under his mission to unite the Opposition parties against the BJP ahead of the 2024 elections.
Hemant, in return, also described Nitish Kumar as his guardian and hoped that the latter will guide him to maintain regional identity and national unity.
Notably, Nitish Kumar had become the Chief Minister for the first time on March 3, 2000 for seven days. In the 2000 elections, neither the RJD nor the National Democratic Alliance – BJP, JDU and the Samata party – crossed the half-way mark of 163 seats. The then Governor VC Pande, nevertheless, invited Kumar to form the government and prove his majority in the Assembly. However, he resigned on March 10 before the vote of confidence in the Assembly.
Incidentally, JMM(S) leader Shibu Soren with 12 MLAs in the House had then cited Lalu Prasad’s untrustworthiness for creation of Jharkhand as a separate state as a reason for supporting the NDA in 2000. Lalu’s son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswai Yadav was by his side when Nitish Kumar was vouching for his old relationship with Hemant Soren.
The Bihar chief minister after holding a meeting with Hemant Soren addressed the media for some time and said that the entire opposition is coming together against the forces who are out to change the history of India.
He also said that the central government is not doing anything. “Only discussion is happening (Khub charcha ho rahi hai), he added.
Mocking the Modi government’s progarmme under “Azadi ka amrit mahotsava’, Kumar pointed out that they are celebrating 75th year of Independence, “But were they there in the first year of Independence?” he asked, underlining the saffron brigade had no role in the country’s independence.
Kumar also did not take questions from media persons, saying that they (read Modi govt) have taken control of media outlets too. “How much freedom had you enjoyed earlier? Ajkal sir ek paksh ki baat hoti hai,” he said and assured the media persons to work for them too if they are voted to power.
The Bihar CM said that they will move ahead together for the development of Jharkhand as well as the country. “The history of the country will remain intact forever. We have to remain united and will not allow anybody to create social disharmony,” he maintained.
Incidentally, Kumar, who called on Odisha CM Navin Patnaik a day before in Bhubaneswar and held a discussion with him for around an hour did not speak on politics.
The JD(U) supremo, who is trying to unite anti-BJP politicians, has so far met leaders of various parties including his West Bengal counterpart and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal with the aim to form an opposition front in view of the coming Lok Sabha polls.
Kumar, with his pitch for a “united opposition” which, he believes, can take on and defeat the BJP in next year’s Lok Sabha polls, is likely to visit Mumbai on Thursday and is likely to call on Maharashtra stalwarts Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray.
