BJP national vice-president CP Thakur (centre) campaigns against chief minister Nitish Kumar in Rohtas on Saturday. Picture by Sanjay Choudhary

Patna, June 29: The BJP today launched its political campaign in 141 Assembly seats contested by JD(U) in 2010, to galvanise its cadres against chief minister Nitish Kumar.

On the first day of campaign, top BJP leaders, including former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, campaigned in different parts of Bihar. While Modi organised a party cadres’ meet in Sheikhpura, another former minister and Narendra Modi’s staunch backer, Giriraj Singh, began his campaign from Harnaut in Nalanda, Nitish’s home turf.

Giriraj not only kicked off his campaign but also said Nitish was dreaming of becoming Prime Minister. Addressing party workers and residents, Giriraj said: “I have come to Nitish’s hometown to challenge him and defeat him in his den. Like I.K. Gujaral and Deve Gowda, even he is dreaming of becoming PM but his dream will never come true.”

Addressing some 500 people, including party workers, at Chandi block of Harnaut, he said, “Round-the-clock, he just thinks about our leader Narendra Modi and he is so obsessed with his face that he even sees him in his dreams.”

The is the BJP’s first mass campaign since the JD(U)-BJP alliance broke up. Their aim is to tell the state that the Dal betrayed the people’s mandate, which was for the alliance. Addressing the public meet in Sheikhpura town hall, Modi said: “The present government has to pay the price for being with the Congress. The government has failed on the relief and rescue front in Uttarakhand. It was busy fixing its political issues.”

Addressing the public meet in Kargahar, Rohtas district, BJP national vice-president C.P. Thakur said BJP workers and leaders were more dedicated and honest compared to other parties in India. He also slammed Nitish for breaking the alliance: “We were together for the past 17 years and he broke the alliance to achieve his political ambitions.” BJP state unit chief Mangal Pandey and former minister Janardhan Singh Sigriwal, held public meets in Samastipur and Begusarai respectively.

Asked about the BJP campaign, senior JD(U) leader Shivanand Tiwari said: “It’s good, let them do, nobody has stopped them.”