JOURNALISTS’ QUESTIONS AND MY ANSWER: NITISH IS MODI IN BIHAR

JOURNALISTS’ QUESTIONS AND MY ANSWER: NITISH IS MODI IN BIHAR

4-NOV-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------As soon as I arrived in Patna, many journalist friends from both Delhi and Patna had the same question—"Brother, everything doesn't seem to be well in the NDA! Nitish Kumar wasn't at Modi's road show yesterday. Is something going on?"

Smiling, I asked back—"First, tell me, what is Narendra Modi's political standing in Bihar?" In 2015, he fought alone—he couldn't even win as many seats as he held.

Even after winning the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, he had to give away his won seats in Bihar to his allies. In 2020, a conspiracy was hatched to weaken Nitish with the help of Chirag Paswan, yet Nitish Kumar remained Chief Minister. And in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Nitish once again proved—Nitish is Nitish in Bihar. In this context, the political standing that Lallan Singh holds in Bihar politics is the same as that of Modi today. So what's so surprising about Lallan Singh being seen with him? The journalist friend in front of me said irritably, "What are you talking about, brother?"

I said, "When Bihar was experiencing two days of continuous heavy rain and storm, almost all the leaders were resting in their homes. But Nitish Kumar, even in that weather, was seen doing a road show, drenched in rain, in 11 assembly constituencies. Have you ever wondered why?" Because this election is Nitish Kumar's election. Just as a father plays the most important role in a daughter's wedding, Nitish Kumar is playing his own role in this election. So, no matter what Modi or Shah say, Nitish belongs to everyone, and in Bihar, Nitish is Modi.