Ready to work beyond Bihar, says Nitish Kumar

Interestingly, senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav was the only one who did not make any mention of Nitish Kumar’s leadership and his national role. He instead exhorted party workers to make party so strong that it can wrest power in Delhi.

This was also the first time JD(U)’s top leaders spoke with clarity on Nitish’s national role. The presence of former Jharkhand CM Babulal Marandi as chief guest at the event outlined JD(U)’s attempt to emerge as the main force behind creating a non-NDA front with Nitish at its centre.

Party spokesperson KC Tyagi said Nitish Kumar had “delivered for Bihar and now the country is looking up to him amid vitiated social atmosphere”.

In his speech, Nitish endorsed the Centre’s stand on terrorism, but said: “PM must ensure that no political party should try to take mileage out of it and advertise it. I had congratulated Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on success of military operation (surgical attack) and our party has passed a resolution on being with Centre on its stand on terrorism.”

Apart from his government’s “success stories” in Bihar, Nitish touched on issues dominating the political discourse in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. About JD(U)’s stand on triple talaq, he said: “Our stand on such issues is well know since we had become part of NDA in 1996. Let Muslims decide. Let Centre not impose it, Muslims should take a decision keeping in mind progress of their womenfolk.”

Targeting BJP for raising emotive issues before every election, the Bihar CM said: “Creating religious frenzy can give them some temporary gain, but ultimately there is no gain.”