File photo of Nitish Kumar.
Deriding the BJP manifesto for bringing controversial issues like Ram Temple, Article 370 and Common Civil Code "into focus" again, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today justified JD(U)'s decision to part company with it.
"By bringing contentious issues like construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, abrogation of Article 370 giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir and enactment of Uniform Civil Code which have been kept out of NDA agenda since 1998 have been brought back into focus for vote... our decision to part company with BJP stands vindicated," Kumar told reporters.
Kumar had been instrumental in JD(U) breaking off with BJP after 17 years of association in June last year over elevation of Narendra Modi.
Trashing the BJP manifesto, the Bihar CM said it had no clarity about steps to check price rise and is silent over the vital question of whether it is in favour of purchasing natural gas at 4.20 per dollar or 8.40 dollar.
The vision document of BJP, "which is in a hurry to come to power", has no space for issues concerning Bihar like the special category status, he said.
"Despite all the hue and cry made by the Bihar BJP leaders that their leader will provide special category status to Bihar after coming to power, it is completely silent on the subject," he said.
"The manifesto only refers to giving priority to economic development of eastern states to bring them at par with western states.
"But, even on this, there is no analysis for backwardness of eastern states like Bihar and concrete steps to end them," he said, adding, "it has been written only in the form of an election slogan."
Flanked by JD(U) General Secretary K C Tyagi and journalist-turned-newly elected Rajya Sabha member Raghuvansh Kumar, he said a close reading of the BJP manifesto made it amply clear that its key words were "communal polarisation" and "promoting crony capitalism."
He also took pot-shots at rivals RJD and Congress and said Lalu Prasad Yadav's assertion in his party manifesto that they would facilitate special status for Bihar is merely a "joke".
"Prasad has been with Congress for more than 10 years and was also a powerful minister in UPA I, then why he did not do anything on this count?" he asked.
Addressing mediapersons at JD(U) headquarters, Kumar said BJP delaying the release of its manifesto proved that it is gripped with "policy paralysis".
He said while BJP leaders had been stressing that they would control price rise, the manifesto is "ambiguously silent" about concrete steps to achieve it.
"There is no mention of cracking on hoarders and black marketeers," he said picking holes in the manifesto.
The Bihar CM asked whether the BJP would favour open market policy to check prices of petroleum products or practise administrative policing policy.
"There is a silence over the price of natural gas as to whether BJP is in favour of 4.20 dollar per mbtu (British thermal units) price or 8.40 dollar per mbtu price?" he asked.
Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal had also propped this question to BJP.
He said there is no reference to any solid programme for women empowerment or for welfare of tribals.
"Is BJP planning to replicate the Gujarat model across the country where number of tribals dependent on agriculture has increased from 81 per cent to 85 per cent and drop-out rate among tribal children in schools is as high as 78 per cent?" he asked.
The entire focus of the BJP manifesto is on triggering "communal polarisation" by harping on Ram Temple issue and protection of cattle and welfare of community involved in rearing of animals, Kumar said.
The Bihar CM lashed out at BJP for ignoring problems of the state.
It though talks of dealing with flood problem in Assam, but has no words for the same in Bihar two-third of whose population face perennial problem on this count.
"Will they take up the annual occurrence of flood in north Bihar with Nepal or not?" he asked.
Kumar criticised BJP for inviting foreign investment in defence by promoting private participation in sensitive subjects like defence.
"It's a dangerous game which will transform India into a battlefield," he said.