JD(U)-BJP alliance is opportunistic, Nitish switches sides for CM post: Kharge

Bihar: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday criticised the ruling alliance between JD(U) and BJP here, calling it “opportunistic” and accusing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of frequently changing sides to remain in power.

Speaking at the party’s ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ rally held at the Dalsagar stadium in Buxar, Kharge appealed to the people to remove the NDA government in the upcoming state elections.

“The alliance between Nitish Kumar and the BJP is opportunistic. It is not good for the people of the state. Nitish Kumar switches sides just for 'kursi' (CM's post). The JD(U) chief has joined hands with the ideology that killed Mahatma Gandhi," he alleged during his address.

As reported by PTI, Kharge also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s long-standing promise of a special package for Bihar, reminding the crowd of his speech from 2015.

“People of Bihar must ask Nitish Kumar what happened to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise of a Rs 1.25 lakh crore package for Bihar, which he had made on August 18, 2015? Modi Ji is running a factory of lies,” the Congress leader said.

He asserted that the NDA must be voted out in the assembly polls later this year, urging people to support the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ coalition.

“The NDA government must be ousted in the coming assembly polls in Bihar,” he said, “People should vote for ‘Mahagathbandhan’ parties in the next state elections.”
Referring to the recent ED charge sheet filed in the National Herald case involving Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Kharge claimed that the move was politically motivated.

“This has been done to target Congress. Our leaders can’t be scared. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for the country,” he said. Kharge also took a dig at the RSS-BJP combine, alleging that their policies do not support the interests of marginalised communities.

“They are against the poor, women, and the weaker sections of society… they (RSS-BJP) can’t think for the betterment of society. They believe in dividing society based on caste and religion,” he said.

He further criticised the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Bill, calling it a divisive tactic. “The Waqf (Amendment) Bill passed by Parliament is a conspiracy of the BJP and the RSS to create a divide among communities,” Kharge alleged.