Highlights
Addressing an election rally in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday talked about his past alliances with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) stating that he was in the party "because of circumstances."
The JD(U) Chief further reaffirmed his commitment to the NDA, saying that he is "back in NDA for good." Nitish also went on to criticize the previous government of RJD adding that "pehle bahot bura haal tha" before he took over as the Chief Minister of the state.
Slamming RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, he said, "Because of circumstances, I had to tie up with those people, but it did not take me long to realise that they were good for nothing. Now I am back (in NDA) for good."
The earlier alliances of Nitish with the RJD in 2015 and 2022 lasted for two years respectively. Both the times, Lalu's son Tejaswi Yadav served as the Deputy Chief Minister.
Nitish also took a dig at the governments of Lalu and Rabri and their poor administration as he highlighted his working and focus on the improvement of infrastructure, education, and healthcare in the state and showered praise on the Narendra Modi government for its support.
Talking about the law and order situation in Bihar, he added, "An atmosphere of terror had prevailed in Bihar because of poor law and order and alleged patronage to criminals by the powers that be, until I took over. But now, it is for all to see how much things have changed."
Nitish said that communal harmony also improved in the state. He pointed out, "Even disputes between Hindus and Muslims have come down because we were sensitive to needs like fencing of religious places of both faiths."
He highlighted that Lalu Prasad ignored women's welfare during his tenure. Referring to Rabri Devi's appointment as the Chief Minister in 1997, Nitish said, "Did the ones in power do anything for women? They could not have cared less. Only when, after seven years of Chief ministership, a situation came when stepping down could not have been avoided, the wife was installed."
He stated that on the contrary, his government focused on women empowerment giving examples of the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana and the self-help groups.