File Photo: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
Facing one of the toughest electoral battles in his political career, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today reached out to migrants from the state in the national capital, inaugurating the Delhi Chapter of Bihar Foundation.
Faced with a ruckus by a group of slogan-shouting youths as soon as he rose to speak, Mr Kumar, however, ruled out any "political" motive behind the event, saying the Foundation aims at connecting with the migrant population of the state living across the country and taking them to their roots.
The youths numbering over a dozen were shouting slogans against Mr Kumar and were waving "Nitish Go Back" placards. Some of them raised slogans against the alleged physical torture and rape of women at Parbatta in Khagaria district recently.
Suggesting a political motive behind the ruckus, Mr Kumar said the protesting youths had come pre-planned to interrupt the event in order to garner publicity.
"There is some disease, which does not go away. This will take time to go. Is this the occasion to do politics? Time for politics has come in Bihar. We will fight it out there. Whoever comes in the government, will he not honour people of Bihari diaspora, who are doing good work?
"At least the occasion should be chosen with proper thought. It's like protesting in one's house when there is an occasion for some social function. This means that those protesting have no attachment with this entire event and do not share the sentiments (of Biharis)," the Chief Minister said.
However, the organisers of the event immediately pushed the youths away after a minor a scuffle. Taking potshots at them, Mr Kumar said, "Media is also present here. What can be a better chance to get publicity. Whichever ideologies they belong to but doing this in an event, which aims at connecting people of Bihar is unfortunate."
"I thank all those too, whose sole purpose behind coming here was to create a ruckus. The news of Bihar Foundation otherwise would not have been published so much but now it will be carried out due to the ruckus created by them."
Crediting Mr Kumar for "revival" of Bihar in last ten years, senior state minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, who heads the Bihar Foundation, curiously referred to the "blurred page" of the history of Bihar.
"In that blurred period, talented people went out from Bihar and made a mark outside... And the revival of Bihar began since 2005 in the period of Nitish Kumar's government," he said in what appeared to be a veiled attack on the 15-year rule of Lalu Prasad's RJD, which preceded Nitish Kumar's rule.
Mr Kumar's JD-U and RJD are fighting this Assembly election in an alliance and Congress, which ruled Bihar before them, is also part of the combine.
Mr Chaudhary said everybody knows under whose leadership the revival of Bihar began and noted "time has come to decide the future of Bihar, the direction in which Bihar will go.
"Future will tell in what direction, we want to take Bihar. Will we go towards the same blurred times or will we take forward the revival of Bihar."
He urged the people of Bihar origin to play an "active role" in what is going to happen in Bihar in the next few months.