BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday slammed his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar and raised questions on his “leadership quality”. He, however, praised the people of Bihar saying there is no dearth of talent in the State.
He was speaking to the media in the capital, on his first visit to the State.
The Bihar unit of the BJP is said to have invited him to the State to get the yaduvanshis (the Yadav community) on its side and thus dent the vote bank of the Rashtriya Janata Dal in the Lok Sabha election.
‘Still BIMARU’
Mr. Yadav said Bihar could have gone much ahead in terms of development, but it was very unfortunate that it still remained a ‘BIMARU’ State, while other States that had been in the category had developed. (The acronym has been used to refer to Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to indicate that they lagged behind in economic growth, education and healthcare.)
“Bihar has everything except leadership quality due to which the State could not develop and still carries the tag of BIMARU State. There is no problem in the State, however, owing to lack of leadership and an opportunistic attitude, Bihar is underdeveloped and backward. I hope that in the days to come Bihar will develop, and Madhya Pradesh will also help this State under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Mr. Yadav said at the party office, while addressing the media.
“Bihar has no dearth of talent as we all know that it is the State that gives the maximum number of IAS and IPS officers. Bihar is capable of facing all kinds of challenges. If Gujarat has done well in industrialisation, it is because of the blood and sweat of the people from Bihar who work in the State,” said Mr. Yadav, who was accompanied by Bihar BJP chief Samrat Choudhary and senior leader Nand Kishore Yadav.
Dynasty politics
Criticising the ‘dynasty politics’ in regional parties, Mr. Yadav alleged that family members got the first preference when it came to filling up big posts in such parties. Such a system does not exist in the BJP, he said, adding that it is the only party in the country that can make a “small worker Prime Minister, Chief Minister and Ministers”.
Before going to the BJP headquarters, he took part in a programme organised by Srikrishna Chetna Parishad, an outfit backed by the BJP.
His visit ahead of the Lok Sabha election is important as the BJP is said to have picked him to win the support of the Yadav vote bank in Bihar and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
As per the recently released caste-based survey data, Yadavs constitute the largest category among the Other Backward Classes in the State, comprising 14.26% of the population. RJD supremo Lalu Prasad helmed Bihar for 15 long years by dint of the Muslim-Yadav voter combination. According to the latest data, Muslims comprise 17.7088% of the State’s population.
Asked about the Madhya Pradesh CM being roped in to get the support of Yadavs, Minister of State for Home affairs and senior BJP leader Nityanand Rai said, “Since the time of the Jan Sangh, the BJP has got the support of all classes of people, including yaduvanshis. The BJP does not do politics by dividing society on the basis of caste. Mohan Yadav ji has been made the Chief Minister and its impact would be in Bihar as well. It is a clear message to the RJD and Lalu ji that dynasty politics will not exist any more.”