Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar insisted on Wednesday that not much should be read about his recent meeting with an LJP MP, which is headed by his bete noire Chirag Paswan, as members of parliament and the state legislature they visit you regularly on matters related to their constituencies.
On CPI’s Kanhaiya Kumar’s visit to his key aide and cabinet colleague Ashok Choudhary, the prime minister said that the former JNU student leader and an MLA from his party had met with him before but did not discuss politics.
Nitish Kumar, who resigned as JD (U) national chair recently but continues to exercise supreme control over it, was asked by reporters at the party’s state headquarters here whether Paswan should be concerned after the visit of LJP deputy Nawada Chandan Kumar Singh to the prime minister’s official residence on Sunday.
“There is nothing to worry about. As the prime minister, I am often approached by members of the state legislature and Parliament who wish to discuss matters related to their areas. They come when I make an appointment and we talk. That’s it, he said.
Notably, Singh’s visit came less than a month after LJP’s sole MLA, Raj Kumar Singh, participated in a book launch ceremony held at Choudhary’s residence.
Chirag Paswan’s rebellion against Kumar before the Bihar assembly election, in which he ran candidates against the JD (U) nominees, cost the party dearly, causing his tally to drop below 50 in the House of 243 members.
The LJP and JD (U), both NDA allies, have been locked in knots ever since. At a recent NDA meeting in New Delhi chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Paswan excused himself citing poor health after JD (U) raised strong objections to the invitation that had been extended to him despite his risky policy in the survey of the assembly.
On Kanhaiya Kumar, who met with Choudhary on Sunday afternoon along with the CPI MLA Suryakant Paswan, the prime minister said that Kanhaiya had met me before. And also a legislator from his party. But our discussions were on issues related to their constituencies. There was nothing political about it.
Media reports had claimed that Kanhaiya, who is believed to be in pain from the way the CPI has treated him on several occasions, was considering moving to JD (U), an ally of the BJP.
The CPI headquarters in Delhi later came out with an angry statement condemning the bad fide and malicious intentions of some sections of the media to smear the CPI and Kanhaiya Kumar.
When asked about JD (U) increasing demand for a caste-based census in Lok Sabha, Nitish Kumar said: “This is a genuine demand and it is one that we have been raising for quite some time. In the past, we have even sent resolutions to this effect, which were passed by both houses of the state legislature, to the Center.
“We must have a precise idea of the respective population of the different social groups so that we can formulate policies accordingly,” he said.
Nitish Kumar also expressed confidence that the budget session of the assembly, which will begin on February 18 and conclude on March 24, will be carried out safely. Members have been asked to take precautions, such as wearing masks, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, the budget session was shortened in light of the outbreak. This year, the opposition Grand Alliance led by RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav has threatened to boycott the assembly and gherao the prime minister’s residence if the session is shortened in the name of the pandemic.
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She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.