‘Absurd’: Nitish Kumar stings Rahul Gandhi for Bihar caste survey claim

Nitish Kumar, however, did not comment on his other former alliance partner, the RJD’s Lalu Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav who were questioned by the Enforcement Directorate

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday rebutted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who sought to take credit for the caste survey conducted in Bihar, saying Gandhi was trying to take “fake credit” for the move.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during inauguration of a the 'Control Room' of Bihar State Disaster Management Authority at Patel Bhawan, in Patna, (PTI)

“Isse badhkar faltu baat nahi ho sakti (There cannot be anything more absurd than this),” Kumar shot back when reporters asked the chief minister to comment on Rahul Gandhi’s remarks a day earlier. “Has he (Rahul Gandhi) forgotten when the caste census happened? I conducted it in the presence of 9 parties. In 2019-2020, I would talk about conducting caste census everywhere, from assembly to public meetings… We met PM (Narendra Modi) in this regard. He is taking fake credit, what can I do? Let it be.”

On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at Nitish Kumar for changing sides soon after his party’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered the state, saying Bihar’s Grand Alliance did not need Nitish Kumar to fight for social justice and that it was really the Congress that pressured Nitish Kumar to conduct the caste survey. . “It was my party which put up pressure on Nitish Kumar and the RJD for conducting a caste survey, which the BJP never wanted,” the Congress leader said at Rangbhumi Maidan in Purnea district, referring to the caste survey that resulted in Bihar state hiking quotas to 75% last year.

On Sunday, Kumar announced the end of the 17-month-old coalition government run by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), Congress and Left parties. Hours later, he joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and took oath as chief minister for the third time in four years, and ninth since 2005.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at Patna’s Sardar Patel Bhawan, Nitish Kumar also ran down the opposition bloc ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or INDIA’.

Asked about the INDIA bloc, the chief minister said he did not care what happens to the grouping and that he will continue to stay with the NDA, for good. “How do I care… I had even asked them to choose a different name for the alliance but they had decided it…. I was trying so hard. They did not even do one thing. Till today, they haven’t decided which party will contest how many seats…. I left them and came back… Now I will stay here (in NDA). I will work for the people of Bihar,” said Kumar.

Nitish Kumar, however, did not comment on his other former alliance partner, the RJD’s Lalu Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav who were questioned by the Enforcement Directorate over the past two days. “Everyone is aware about the allegations on him (Lalu Prasad Yadav), investigation is underway. I am not aware about it much. Neither I have asked about it, nor anyone has told me anything about it,” said Kumar.

Former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav was interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case linked to the land-for-jobs scam on Tuesday, a day after his father Lalu Prasad was quizzed in the matter.

Other leaders of Nitish Kumar’s party also criticised Rahul Gandhi for his Purnea speech.

JD (U) leader Neeraj Kumar countered Gandhi’s remark that explained Nitish Kumar’s exit from the Grand Alliance to pressure put on him by th BJP. “The situation is such that when he (Rahul Gandhi) enters Bengal, Mamata Banerjee leaves (the alliance). There’s a change in rule, when he enters Bihar. One who can put pressure on Nitish Kumar is yet to be born,” said Neeraj Kumar.