Express News Service
PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday indirectly targetted Prime Minister Narendra Modi while responding to the latter’s allegation of corruption on Opposition parties. On Modi’s allegation that some political parties had come out in the open to protect the corrupt, Nitish, without naming the PM, told media persons on Friday, “Why should anybody protect the corrupt? Why is he not speaking about what is happening in other states? We have never compromised over the corrupt for so long in Bihar. They can say whatever they wish to. I don’t have to respond.”
“When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in power, I had the opportunity to work with him. He had taken care of everybody. People at the Centre can say anything, I am really not concerned about it,” the Chief Minister said, adding that he was primarily focused on the development of Bihar.
Modi had remarked in Kerala the other day that “as action is being taken against the corrupt, a new polarisation of political forces is happening in the country”, and “some political parties have come out in the open to put up a combined resistance to protect the corrupt”.
“Who is shielding the corrupt? Would anybody ever think of doing so? There are, however, many developments in various states, of people going from here to there, which all know but about which I do not wish to say much,” said Kumar. Rubbishing Modi’s claim that Opposition parties were going into a huddle rattled at the Centre’s crackdown on corruption, Kumar also sought to remind the former that in many states the BJP has ended up aligning with those whom it had previously accused of wrongdoings. Kumar spoke on corruption on the sidelines of a function where his deputy Tejashwi Yadav was also present and the RJD leader, who finds himself and family members in many legal wrangles, chose to be more upfront.
Nitish asserted that he had been working for the state’s progress ever since he was given an opportunity to serve the state. “Hum log nyay ke saath sab ka vikas karna chahte hain aur bina koi bhed bhav ke (We want to provide justice to people and bring about changes in their lives without discrimination),” he told the media after paying tributes to former CM, Daroga Prasad Rai, on the latter’s death anniversary.
Deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, “There are more than 1000 MLAs and over 300 MPs from BJP. No raid has been conducted against any of them during the last eight years. Are all of them clean? And if no raid has been conducted, who is protecting them? Those who are making fake claims of making attempts to eradicate corruption are protecting them.”
On the other hand, former deputy chief minister and BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi took a dig at Nitish for not dismissing RJD minister Sudhakar Singh from the cabinet when his name had figured in the rice scam. Was Nitish avoiding action against Sudhakar as he is the son of Bihar RJD president Jagdanand Singh, he asked.
‘BJP aligning with parties involved in wrongdoings’
Rubbishing Modi’s claim that Opposition parties were going into a huddle rattled at the Centre’s crackdown on corruption, Kumar also sought to remind the former that in many states the BJP has ended up aligning with those whom it had previously accused of wrongdoings
PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday indirectly targetted Prime Minister Narendra Modi while responding to the latter’s allegation of corruption on Opposition parties. On Modi’s allegation that some political parties had come out in the open to protect the corrupt, Nitish, without naming the PM, told media persons on Friday, “Why should anybody protect the corrupt? Why is he not speaking about what is happening in other states? We have never compromised over the corrupt for so long in Bihar. They can say whatever they wish to. I don’t have to respond.”
“When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in power, I had the opportunity to work with him. He had taken care of everybody. People at the Centre can say anything, I am really not concerned about it,” the Chief Minister said, adding that he was primarily focused on the development of Bihar.
Modi had remarked in Kerala the other day that “as action is being taken against the corrupt, a new polarisation of political forces is happening in the country”, and “some political parties have come out in the open to put up a combined resistance to protect the corrupt”.
“Who is shielding the corrupt? Would anybody ever think of doing so? There are, however, many developments in various states, of people going from here to there, which all know but about which I do not wish to say much,” said Kumar. Rubbishing Modi’s claim that Opposition parties were going into a huddle rattled at the Centre’s crackdown on corruption, Kumar also sought to remind the former that in many states the BJP has ended up aligning with those whom it had previously accused of wrongdoings. Kumar spoke on corruption on the sidelines of a function where his deputy Tejashwi Yadav was also present and the RJD leader, who finds himself and family members in many legal wrangles, chose to be more upfront.
Nitish asserted that he had been working for the state’s progress ever since he was given an opportunity to serve the state. “Hum log nyay ke saath sab ka vikas karna chahte hain aur bina koi bhed bhav ke (We want to provide justice to people and bring about changes in their lives without discrimination),” he told the media after paying tributes to former CM, Daroga Prasad Rai, on the latter’s death anniversary.
Deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, “There are more than 1000 MLAs and over 300 MPs from BJP. No raid has been conducted against any of them during the last eight years. Are all of them clean? And if no raid has been conducted, who is protecting them? Those who are making fake claims of making attempts to eradicate corruption are protecting them.”
On the other hand, former deputy chief minister and BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi took a dig at Nitish for not dismissing RJD minister Sudhakar Singh from the cabinet when his name had figured in the rice scam. Was Nitish avoiding action against Sudhakar as he is the son of Bihar RJD president Jagdanand Singh, he asked.
‘BJP aligning with parties involved in wrongdoings’
Rubbishing Modi’s claim that Opposition parties were going into a huddle rattled at the Centre’s crackdown on corruption, Kumar also sought to remind the former that in many states the BJP
has ended up aligning with those whom it had previously accused of wrongdoings
