At NDA meet, Paswan trains guns on Nitish, Lalu

Paswan also defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the “suit-boot” jibe.

Ram Vilas Paswan.

Union minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan Saturday accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of trying to “divide society” ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls. He also dared Nitish to reveal the sources of funds for JD(U)’s massive publicity campaign.

Paswan was addressing an NDA meet, which was not attended by NDA constituent RLSP. Former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, whose Hindustani Awam Morcha is the latest NDA partner in Bihar, has not yet attended a single NDA meeting so far, amid reports of growing differences in the alliance over seat-sharing.

Paswan also defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the “suit-boot” jibe by RJD chief Lalu Prasad, saying that “one needs to have a good body and personality to wear a suit”.

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Targeting Nitish, he said, “Can Nitish name a single person who has contributed to JD(U)’s fund? He must reveal sources of his party funds. He has been splurging money on his mammoth publicity campaign.” He also accused Nitish of trying to “divide society on the lines of backwards and forwards”.

BJP legislature party leader and former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi alleged the “Nitish government had been threatening Panchayat representatives”.

JD(U) MP in the Rajya Sabha Ali Anwar responded by saying, “Paswan has been speaking in such a language to consolidate his position in the NDA and get more Assembly seats. Everyone knows that Nitish Kumar will seek votes only on his development plank.”

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More

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