JD(U) firebrand Neeraj Kumar launched a scathing attack on the opposition, particularly Congress, for questioning the Election Commission’s autonomy in scheduling elections across key states.
Following the EC’s announcement of assembly polls in Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Puducherry, Congress highlighted the long gap between voting on April 9 in some regions and May 4 results. But Kumar begged to differ.
In an IANS interview from Patna, he declared, ‘Election dates are the Commission’s prerogative. Political outfits have no business interfering or instructing them.’
Kumar attributed the opposition’s frustration to their Bihar debacle. ‘They’re nursing wounds from Bihar and preemptively poisoning the atmosphere for state elections,’ he observed.
Exuding confidence on Bihar’s Rajya Sabha polls, he stated, ‘Tejashwi’s efforts won’t matter; NDA victory on all five seats is certain.’
The leader also commented on the EC’s bold move in Bengal, ousting top bureaucrats. ‘Political meddling in bureaucracy is wrong. EC acted rightly, just like in Bihar post-incidents. Mamata skips development talk, dwells on distractions. Bengal’s public is weary of TMC’s ways.’
Party colleague Rajiv Ranjan supported, noting EC’s authority extends to NDA states too for impartiality. Regarding Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Ratna pitch for Kanshi Ram, Ranjan called it reasonable but a government call.