Rajnath Singh said Bihar had seen great progress under Nitish Kumar. (File)
There can be a debate on the quantum of development Bihar has seen under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar but no one can point a finger at him on corruption, Defence Minister Rajnath said on Wednesday, calling the BJP and the Janata Dal-United (JDU) a "superhit" partnership like the opening pair of cricket stars Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.
Attacking the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Mr Singh said the people had witnessed its 15-year tenure and can see the difference between its "misrule" and the good governance of the Nitish Kumar-led coalition government.
Addressing a rally in Bihar's Bhagalpur district ahead of the assembly polls beginning October 28, Mr Singh said, "The alliance of the BJP and the JD(U) is as superhit as the opening pair of Sachin and Sehwag of the Indian cricket team."
He said the government has provided basic facilities of electricity, road and water, which Bihar lacked for decades.
"People have seen the 15-year rule of 'lalten' and they have also seen the development of Bihar during the BJP-JD(U) alliance government. The performance of these two governments cannot be compared. The state transformed under the NDA government," Mr Singh said, in a reference to the RJD's poll symbol of lantern.
Praising Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy and BJP leader Sushil Modi, Mr Singh said there are no charges of corruption against them.
"I am not making this claim that Nitish Kumar has done everything for Bihar. It could be debated whether he has done enough work or less work or more was required to be done, but there can be no debate on their integrity," Mr Singh said.
Aiming the RJD, Mr Singh, speaking in local Bhojpuri language, said ''lalten'' has cracked and its oil has leaked and nothing will work now.
Speaking about the soldiers of the Bihar Regiment who sacrificed their lives during a violent standoff with Chinese soldiers at the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) earlier this year, Mr Singh said he is thankful to the people of the state for their bravery.
"You all know what happened at Galwan Valley, it was Bihar Regiment soldiers who saved the pride of our motherland. They sacrificed their lives and I thank all of you for their sacrifice," Singh said.
Polls for the 243-member Bihar assembly will be held in three phases - October 28, November 3 and November 7 - and the counting of votes will take place on November 10.
The BJP-JDU combine faces a challenge from the "Grand Alliance" of the RJD, the Congress and Left parties.
(With inputs from PTI)