Nitish has been plundering Bihar for past 18 years: Samrat Choudhary
The Hindu
Mr. Choudhary also mocked at the Nitish government’s ambitious prohibition policy and said it was Mr. Kumar who was responsible for opening liquor shops in every panchayat.
Launching a blistering attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, State BJP president Samrat Choudhary on May 20 said he (Mr. Kumar) has been plundering Bihar for the past 18 years. Mr. Choudhary also mocked at the Nitish government’s ambitious prohibition policy and said it was Mr. Kumar who was responsible for opening liquor shops in every panchayat, and delivering liquor to every doorstep, but “now he has prohibited liquor in the State”.
“Nitish Kumar has been plundering Bihar for the past 18 years. Earlier, their alliance partner Rashtriya Janata Dal [RJD] had looted the State for 15 years”, charged Mr. Choudhary while addressing the party’s State working committee meeting at Kisan Bhawan in Patna.
Mr. Choudhary also said, “Nitish Kumar has brought the State’s economic condition to such a phase where, if there was not a Narendra Modi government [at the Centre], even paying salaries to State government employees would be difficult.”
“It was the Modi government which had given money for Har Ghar Nal Yojana [tap water to every household] but, the Nitish government took away that money, not directly but through other means,” blamed Mr. Choudhary.
With the general elections just a year away, Mr. Choudhary who comes from the Other Backward Class (OBC) Koeri community, also took on the Nitish government over the law and order situation. “Law and order in Bihar has failed. Everyday 20-25 murders are taking place”. He further slammed the previous RJD government and said “Lalu Prasad had given jobs to only his family members and cheated Bihar”.
He further said, “Until the double-engine government is formed, Bihar could not be developed. And we will form the BJP government at the Centre in 2024 and in the State in 2025”.
Mr. Choudhary appealed to party workers to reach out at the booth level to “make the party stronger.” “If we win booths, we’ll win the election”, he quipped. The State BJP chief also listed welfare schemes and steps undertaken by the Modi government for the poor in Bihar. “The poor got houses, their bank accounts were opened and the farmers are now getting Samman Nidhi [₹6,000 per year].”
While residents are worried over deaths due to diarrhoea in Vijayawada, officials still grapple to find the root cause. Contaminated drinking water supplied by VMC officials is the reason, insist people in the affected areas, but officials insist that efforts are on to identify the disease and that those with symptoms other than diarrhoea too are visiting the health camps.