Accompanied with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on October 11, 2022 reached socialist icon Jayaprakash Narayan’s birth place at his ancestral village Sitab Diara in Saran district, situated on the border of Bihar and U.P., and slammed ruling alliance party leaders Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad, without taking their names.
“The ruling party leaders of Bihar today are taking names of JP (Jayaprakash Narayan) but sitting in the lap of Congress party. JP had not done anything in his life for power but some people today are changing sides for power”, Mr Shah slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a veiled reference.
“For power they discarded JP’s principles”, added Mr Shah.
“Now people of Bihar have to decide whether they wish to have Narendra Modi government which runs on JP’s principles or, those who have digressed from his principles for power”, said Mr Shah who had visited Bihar second time in last one month after JD(U) snapped its ties with BJP in August this year to form mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) government with RJD, Congress, Left and other smaller parties.
Both Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad have been product of JP’s total revolution andolan (agitation). “They talk about JP’s principles but have gone to the Congress party against whom JP fought with”, said Mr Shah.
Earlier on September 23-24 , Mr Shah had visited Seemanchal (border) districts of Purnia and Kishanganj in Bihar where he had launched attack on both chief minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad.
Mr Kumar is currently touring several states and meeting political party leaders to forge unity of Opposition parties against BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024 general elections.
Mr Shah also unveiled a life-size statue of Jayaprakash Narayan at his village and said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed to install JP’s statue at this place and today his vow has been fulfilled”.
Earlier, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath too launched veiled attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD president Lalu Prasad saying, “dishonesty and corruption” in Bihar have been hampering growth of youth here.
“The country knows deeds of those who do politics taking names of Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia. Criminalization of politics is hurdle in development”, Mr Yogi said.
He also assured that the problem of recurring flood of the area will be solved by his government soon. Sitab Diara is situated on the confluence of rivers Ganga and Saryu and some part of the village lies in Ballia district of UP while, other parts in Saran district of Bihar.
All senior Bihar BJP leaders and party leaders from Ballia of UP were present on the occasion.
Few days back, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar too had visited Sitab Diara and announced a slew of development works in JP’s village. Mr Kumar on Tuesday, though, left for Nagaland to attend birth anniversary celebrations of JP there.
“JP had spent three years of his life in Nagaland from 1964. People of Nagaland have great respect for JP and they had invited me to be present in birth celebrations there so I’m going there”, Mr Kumar told media persons after paying homage to JP’s statue in Patna.
When asked about Mr Shah’s visit to Sitab Diara, Mr Kumar quipped, “ logo ke aane-jaane se kya hota hai ?(what happens when people come and go)”.
Meanwhile, his party leader and chairman of JD(U) parliamentary board Upendra Kushwaha took a dig at Mr Shah’s regular visit to Bihar. “Let him visit but he will not be successful in his agenda”, he said.
