Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday released a video message defending his governance record and seeking another chance from voters, hours after facing criticism from the INDIA bloc for staying silent during the NDA’s manifesto release.
“Earlier, the law and order in the state was very bad. Firstly, work was done to improve it. Also, the situation of education, health, roads, electricity, water supply, agriculture and employment for the youth has been significantly improved,” Kumar said in the video posted on the X account of Janata Dal (United).
He accused the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of plunging Bihar into “jungle raj” and claimed that the NDA restored order and dignity.
“From the very beginning, we have worked for the development of all sections of society, be it Hindus, Muslims, upper castes, backward, extremely backward, Dalits and Maha Dalits. We have worked for all and not for our families,” he said.
“Being called a Bihari earlier was an insult, but now it is a matter of respect,” the JD(U) leader said.
Kumar also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accelerating Bihar’s development.
“The PM Modi-led central government is giving full support to Bihar's development journey. Only the NDA can develop Bihar. The pace of development has increased a lot due to the presence of both NDA governments at the Centre and the state,” he said.
Appealing directly to voters, he added, “Give us one more chance. We will develop Bihar in such a way that it will be included among the top states. Therefore, please reach your polling booth in maximum numbers and cast your vote.”
His remarks came shortly after the INDIA bloc took a swipe at him for standing silently beside BJP president JP Nadda, deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Jitan Ram Manjhi, and LJP-RV chief Chirag Paswan during the NDA’s manifesto launch.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday questioned the (NDA) over the promise of one crore jobs in Bihar, asking, "Where are the jobs they promised in the last elections?"
Congress leader Ashok Gehlot termed the episode “an insult to Bihar and Biharis,” saying, “The NDA’s manifesto release lasted only 26 seconds, as the leaders were afraid of facing questions from journalists about their 20-year rule.”
