BJP won't make Nitish CM, instead give post to some 'chela': Kharge

Hajipur: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday claimed that if the NDA returns to power in Bihar, the BJP will not make Nitish Kumar the chief minister, and instead give the post to some "chela" of the saffron party.

Addressing his maiden Bihar election rally at Raja Pakar in Vaishali district, around 40 km from headquarters Hajipur, Kharge lambasted Kumar for allegedly betraying the legacy of socialist icons like Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia and Karpoori Thakur and joining hands with "anti-women" BJP, which he said is a believer of 'Manu Smriti'.

"Nitish Kumar is sitting in the lap of the BJP, which believes in Manu Smriti. He has given up on JP, Lohia and Thakur. He cannot champion the cause of Dalits, OBCs and EBCs," he claimed.

"But Nitish Kumar is not aware that after the elections, the BJP is not going to make him the CM again and instead it will give the post to some 'chela' (foot soldier) of theirs," Kharge said, in a bid to drive a wedge between the saffron party and the JD(U).

He mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for carrying out an intensive campaign in the state "as if it were his son's wedding".

"The PM has time to tour the world but not to take stock of the state of affairs in his country, where he is seen only at the time of elections. You can see Modi roaming through the streets of a city even during municipal polls. Even during Bihar assembly elections, he is so busy as if it is his son's wedding," said the octogenarian, known for his earthy humour.

Attacking the PM, he said Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat for 13.5 years and has been the prime minister for the last 12 years but could not develop either the western state or the country.

Lashing out at Kumar, he said, "Nitish took oath as Bihar's CM nine times and ruled the state for 20 years, still he couldn't provide jobs or stop out-migration of youth." Kharge alleged that Bihar's NDA government was involved in scams worth Rs 70,000 crore, and claimed that even a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report confirmed it.

"Modi and Shah talk about 'jungle raj' but what did the NDA do for Bihar in the last 20 years?" he asked.

Kharge also claimed that 50 lakh posts were lying vacant in central government departments and alleged that Modi was not concerned about it, and asked about his poll promise of providing 2 crore jobs every year.

In an apparent reference to activists and student leaders being charged with sedition upon voicing criticism of the Modi government, Kharge said, attempting a poetic flourish, "It is a carnival of lies in which truth stands alone. Anyone who dares to asks questions is branded an anti-national."