Amit Shah sounds NDA poll bugle in Bihar

Saffron party chief accuses Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of dashing dreams of Jayprakash Narayan and Karpoori Thakur

Showcasing unity in the NDA for the Bihar Assembly polls and taking a dig at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the BJP president Amit Shah on Thursday sounded the bugle for coming election.

At a rally in Patna, the top leaders of the NDA presented a picture of unity. LJP President and Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan, former Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) leader and Union Minister of State Upendra Kushwaha, Union Minister Ananth Kumar and several BJP leaders of the state as well of national level were present at the dais with Shah.

Earlier Manjhi and Kushwaha had showed signs of resentment in the NDA. Manjhi said last week that he would walk off from the alliance, if the saffron party does not give proper respect to its alliance partners. Meanwhile, Kushwaha, in his party's convention last month, has announced his candidature for the CM's post. 



On the other hand, the saffron party chief also accused the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of "dashing" dreams of Jayprakash Narayan and Karpoori Thakur by joining hands with Congress. "Nitish Kumar dashed dreams of mentor Jayprakash Narayan as well socialist leader Karpoori Thakur by joining hands with Congress for the sake of power," Shah said before flagging off "Parivartan Rath" in different parts of the state.

The BJP chief in a dig at Kumar said "What did you do with George Fernandes and Jitan Ram Manjhi?" 

Charging Kumar with "backstabbing" the mandate of people given to NDA in 2010 elections, Shah took potshots at him for joining hands with archrival Lalu Prasad for the sake of power.



Shah flagged off 160 rath (chariot) which he called as "Doot (representatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi) which would roll across Bihar spreading message of development under NDA at the Centre and also "expose" the "unholy" alliance of Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad.

Painting a dim picture of secular alliance of Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad and Congress, Shah highlighted the performance of Modi government in past one year which he said would be repeated in Bihar too by the future NDA government.