NDA to fight Bihar Assembly polls under CM Nitish Kumar’s leadership, says LJP chief Chirag Paswan

“Bihari itna aage hai to Bihar itna pichhe kyon? (If Biharis are doing so well, then why is Bihar so behind?) We need to find an answer to this question,” Paswan said.

Paswan, once known to be a critic of Nitish Kumar, also clarified his stand on the JD (U) chief, saying that if he was a part of an alliance, there could be no room for apprehensions. “…that could have just damaged the alliance and would have affected our performance,” he added.

The assembly polls in the state are due to be held towards the end of 2025.

Bridge collapses in Bihar

In an interaction with news agency PTI, Paswan urged the Bihar government to set a precedent by taking action against cases of crime and the bridge collapses in the state. Paswan said that the collapse of 15 bridges in Bihar in recent months was a serious issue.

“This definitely shows that somewhere corruption has taken place. Compromises were made. I don’t want to get into the politics of who was in the government then. We are in the government now. It is our responsibility to make sure this does not get repeated. Whosoever is responsible should be held accountable and punished so that a precedent is set for the future,” he said.

Disagreement with UP Kanwar Yatra order

A day earlier, Paswan joined the list of NDA allies who voiced their disagreement with the Kanwar Yatra advisory in Uttar Pradesh.

“Whenever there is such a divide in the name of caste or religion, I absolutely do not either support it or encourage it. I do not think any educated young person of my age, irrespective of the caste or religion they come from, is affected by such things,” Paswan told PTI.

The UP government had issued a directive for eateries falling along the route of he upcoming Kanwar Yatra, requiring that the eateries display the names of their owners, purportedly clarifying their religion. The order, first issued by the Muzaffarnagar police, was then extended to cover the entire state.

Nationwide caste census

Paswan backed the pitch for conducting a nationwide caste census, but warned against making the data public, saying that the figures would lead to “division” in society. The Union Minister stated that the caste census should be a part of the next census, citing the need for specific data for adequate allocation of money for community-based development schemes.

(With PTI inputs)