Ahead of Amit Shah Rally, Chirag Paswan’s Message to Nitish Kumar

He expressed his dissatisfaction over the way Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar handled the migrant crisis.

Image of Bihar map and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar used for representational purposes.

(Photo: Arnica Kala / The Quint)

With Home Minister Amit Shah set to kick off a massive virtual rally in Bihar on Sunday, 9 June, Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan on Friday said that he will support BJP "whether it goes with Nitish Kumar's leadership or changes its mind".

Jamui MP Chirag Paswan further expressed his dissatisfaction over the way Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar handled the migrant crisis, noting it “could have been better”.

"Who will be the face, who will be the leader of the alliance is something that its largest constituent BJP has to decide. The LJP is strongly with the BJP in whatever decision it takes. If they (BJP) want to go ahead with Nitish Kumar ji, we are with them, if they want to have a change of mind... whatever decision the BJP takes, we will support," Paswan told in an interview to PTI.

For the upcoming elections scheduled later this year, the BJP had earlier declared JD(U) President Nitish Kumar as the chief ministerial candidate of the NDA which comprises of BJP, JD(U), LJP.

Paswan said that if the Bihar government had started transporting migrants earlier, then deaths of several workers could have been avoided.

“If Bihar government had begun transporting migrants earlier, then we could have the example of the likes of Jyoti Kumar. Deaths of many labourers on their way to home could have been probably avoided,” he told PTI while praising Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in this regard.

15-year-old Jyoti Kumari, had cycled 1,200 km from Gurugram to her native place in Bihar with her injured father on pillion.

Meanwhile, Paswan, son of Ram Vilas Paswan who is the cabinet minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, firmly believed that the NDA will win the Bihar elections with a huge mandate.

“It will win more than 225 of 242 seats in the assembly, he claimed, noting that it had also won 39 of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats in 2019,” PTI reported.

(With inputs from PTI)