Will take Piyush Goyal’s remarks on Bihar to every nook and cranny of the State: JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that he did not intend to insult Bihar or Biharis and will withdraw the statement if it hurt anyone

With Union Minister and Leader of House Piyush Goyal failing to tender an unconditional apology for his alleged “derogatory” remark against Bihar made during a debate in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) are planning to scale up their campaign against the BJP centring it around Mr. Goyal’s comments.

Speaking to The Hindu, JD(U)‘s national president and Lok Sabha MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lallan)  on Thursday said, “We will take Piyush Goyal’s words to every nook and cranny in Bihar to expose Bharatiya Janata Party’s [BJP] mindset and their perception about Bihar and Biharis.”

On Tuesday, during RJD MP Manoj K. Jha’s intervention in a debate on the Appropriation Bill, Mr. Goyal interjected to say, “ inka bas chale, toh desh ko Bihar hi bana de” (If they have their way, they will turn the country into Bihar).

Citing the 2015 comment by Rashtriya Sevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, who had indicated the possibility of ending caste-based reservation in the country, which generated a widespread adverse reaction in the State, Mr. Singh said Mr. Goyal’s remarks too will generate similar reactions. “They will face the consequences in the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2025 Assembly elections,” Mr. Singh noted.

Mr. Singh also appealed to BJP MPs and MLAs from Bihar, to take cognisance of Mr Goyal’s words. “They must remember that they are Bihari first and a BJP leader later. If they have any self-respect they should question Mr. Goyal and seek an apology. But then again, it is not a democratic party for them to be able to raise any question about it,” he added. His taunt towards BJP MPs is not entirely lost on the party. A BJP MP speaking on condition of anonymity said, “This is a self goal by us. We have handed JD(U)-RJD a stick to beat us with.”

RJD MP Jha had on Wednesday written a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar seeking an apology from Mr. Goyal on the issue. “My leader has categorically said that we could have ignored an insult directed at our party, our partymen or members like me. But we shall not suffer an insult to our State in silence. Mr. Goyal’s sneering remark clearly exposes the top BJP leadership’s attitude towards Bihar,” Mr. Jha said.

On Thursday, Mr. Jha once again demanded an apology from Mr. Goyal in Rajya Sabha. In response, Mr. Goyal said, “Let me clarify that there is absolutely no intention of insulting either Bihar or the people of Bihar and if it at all that has hurt anybody, I immediately withdraw that statement. It was not made with any malice towards anybody at all. If it at all that has hurt anybody I immediately withdraw that statement.