Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar addresses a joint rally of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ in Purnia on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023.
| Photo Credit: FILE Photo
Batting for its ally BJP, the Janata Dal (United) on Tuesday announced that it will campaign across Delhi ahead of the Assembly elections to “expose” former Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s “double standards” on Purvanchalis – a term used for residents of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and those hailing from there in the national capital.
AAP has mounted a campaign alleging that BJP president J.P. Nadda had, in the Rajya Sabha, called people from Purvanchal “Bangladeshis and Rohingya”. Delhi’s ruling party plans to take video clips of Mr. Nadda’s speech to areas with a heavy concentration of Purvanchali voters and has deputed its Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh for it.
Taking AAP’s allegations head-on at a press conference, Union Minister Lalan Singh and JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha pulled out an undated video clip of Mr. Kejriwal from the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in which he is purportedly saying that people from Bihar spend ₹500 to come to the national capital to get medical treatment worth ₹5 lakh at Delhi government hospitals.
“He is a hypocrite. Is Delhi his property? Does he pay for their medical expenses from his pocket?” said Mr. Singh, asserting that the AAP chief’s remarks “clearly expose his opinion about Purvanchalis”.
“I was there in the Rajya Sabha when Mr. Nadda spoke. He only remarked about the Rohingya population. AAP has deliberately twisted his words,” said Mr. Jha.
‘Delhi talks on’
The JD(U) leaders also accused Mr. Kejriwal and the AAP government of neglecting migrant workers from Bihar during the pandemic, with Mr. Singh claiming that the Delhi government pushed them out of the national capital. “They dropped off workers from Bihar in buses at the Delhi-Noida border so that they don’t have to feed them. The Bihar government organised camps here to feed them,” he said.
Mr. Singh said his party will extensively campaign in Delhi but deflected questions on whether the JD(U) will contest. “The election in Delhi will be fought under the NDA banner. Currently talks are on, we will let you know whenever anything is finalised,” he said.
On Bihar elections, which are due next year, the Union Minister reiterated the statement made by State BJP leaders: “The NDA will fight Bihar Assembly polls under the leadership of [Chief Minister] Nitish Kumar.”
Published – December 25, 2024 01:24 am IST