Nitish addresses big gatherings in Araria, seeks vote for BJP nominee in bypoll

Richesh Anand

Araria : JD(U) National President and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar while campaigning for the BJP candidate from Araria parliamentary constituency Pradip Kumar Singh at Raniganj and Sikti in Araria district in the bypoll on March 11, 2018, said that the State Education Finance Corporation formed by the state government will disburse loan to the students for higher education.

Addressing impressive gatherings at both Raniganj and Sikti on March 7, 2018, Nitish urged the people to vote for the BJP nominee in the interest of the development of the state. He said the development of the state was his prime concern and said every home of the state will soon have electricity. Nitish said that the opposition leaders did not  have any genuine facts or any convincing logic to seek votes for the RJD candidate. The RJD has fielded former JD(U) MLA Sarfraz Alam, son of former Union Minister and sitting MP Mohammad Taslimuddin whose death had necessitated the bypoll. JD(U) MLA Alam resigned his assembly seat recently to contest from Araria as the RJD nominee.

Nitish, in an indirect attack on the RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who has been so far convicted in three fodder scam cases and in Ranchi jail, said that the people do not give give mandate to leaders to amass huge wealth. The people give mandate for the development of the state, he said. “Amassing huge wealth should not be the principal agenda. The objective should be serving the people,” Nitish said.

Nitish highlighted developments in the fields of educations, health, road communication, besides reservations given to women in elections to different Local and Municipal bodoes, providing scholarships to students, electricity and other schemes. As a result of these development and welfare works, Bihar has achieved a growth rate 10% which is
higher than national average, Nitish said.

Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi while addressing the gatherings said that the BJP- JD(U) combine shall change election equations and BJP candidate will win the Araria seat by huge margin. Modi said that reservations will continue. He said that Lalu Prasad was not sent to jail by the police of Nitish Kumar rather it was by the order of the three judicial courts that he was in jail. ” Are we responsible for the Rs 1,000 crore fodder scam”? Modi asked the audience. Modi said that the RJD chief has gone jail 6 times and claimed now a 28 year old young man has become the  owner over Rs 1,000 crore  in no time.

At Sikti, a very warm welcome was given to Nitish and Modi. On the dais, the arch rival of  Pradip Kumar Singh due to whom he had lost the parliamentary election in 2014 – BJP MLA from Sikti Vijoy Mandal- was also present. Mandal was JD(U) candidate in 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Araria parliamentary constituency and had succeeded in dividing the EBC votes due to which RJD candidate Taslimiuddin  had won this seat. Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain urged minority members to vote for BJP saying the members of minority community were more safe and secured in India than any in other country in the world.