Amid discord among NDA allies over seat-sharing for the Bihar Assembly elections – with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reportedly unhappy with slightly stronger seats going to the BJP, and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) wresting an unexpected deal – Janata Dal (United) working president and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Jha tells The Indian Express in an interview that all matters are settled. The party will come out with its final list in a day, ahead of Nitish’s campaign launch on Thursday from Samstipur and Darbhanga, he says. Excerpts:
Sanjay Jha: Our seat-sharing is perfect. The numbers and the seats are settled. One or two may be remaining, which will be settled by (Thursday). Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will start his campaign on Thursday. Yet, I get to hear these things despite the fact that in the case of the Opposition, neither is the number of seats fixed nor is there consensus on who will contest which seats. The Opposition has no agenda either for these polls.
Sanjay Jha: Our traditional seats are with us and stay with us… I keep seeing news that Nitish is angry… A narrative has been built where no truth exists… We have come out with our first list of 57 seats, and we will announce all 101 candidates (on Thursday).
Sanjay Jha: The precise schedules are not final yet, but he will do four to five jan sabhas (rallies) every day. (On Thursday), he will be campaigning in Samastipur and Darbhanga.
Sanjay Jha: It is true, but things have progressed since then. In the last Assembly elections, Chirag Paswan was not part of our alliance. But he was our ally in the Lok Sabha elections, and we all know the result. He is again our ally now, and the NDA will win the elections.
As for which party got how many seats – when the target is to win elections and get a good government that continues the development process, while each party thinks they should have more seats, we thrash out the final allocation when we sit together. The entire NDA is one. The seat allocation is settled. Nitish Kumar is the face of the NDA in Bihar.
Sanjay Jha: In the last 20 years, Nitish Kumar has delivered what he has promised. That is why he has been in power for 20 years. He has shown that the narrative of development can win elections… If you look at it closely, large populations of women – 1.4 crore – have been supported by the CM to stand on their feet. We will support them to earn their livelihoods.
Sanjay Jha: Jungle raaj, corruption, dynastic and caste politics are what the RJD did. Where is social justice in any of these? Nitish ji gave reservation to Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) in local bodies in 2006. Even women and Dalits got it… Nitish ji gave compensation to Bhagalpur riot victims, which had not been given by the RJD regime. Industrialists and doctors were running away from Bihar in RJD days. School-going children were kidnapped. No curfew has been imposed under Nitish Kumar. There is absolutely no comparison in terms of performance.
Sanjay Jha: As elections come close, this election will become bipolar. Wait for it to happen.
Sanjay Jha: We have had a long association with the BJP. They were part of the change in Bihar. Nitish ji was a Union minister in the Atal Bihar Vajpayee government. In working for improving governance in Bihar, we never faced any problem with the BJP, but did face it with the RJD. We have twice experienced that governance is not possible with the RJD.
