PATNA: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar assured Union minister Amit Shah Sunday that he would “never again” ditch BJP, having done so “twice by mistake”. With assembly elections barely a few months away, the JDU president’s averment came at a function in Patna where Shah and he unveiled several projects of Centre and the state.
Shah had given a pep talk to the cadre late Saturday when he is said to have asserted “our victory in Bihar will resonate far and wide”. Widely regarded as BJP’s principal strategist, Shah is likely to wind up his two-day tour later in the day with a brainstorming session at Kumar’s place, where other NDA constituents are also expected.
Nitish was greeted with roars of “Jai Shri Ram”, in an obvious indication of the overwhelming presence of BJP cadre at the event, but he, proud of his “secular” credentials, took it in his stride. “There was no healthcare in Bihar worth the name under RJD-Congress combine. No good educational facilities. We came to office in Nov 2005 and things started to look up,” claimed Kumar.
In his speech, Kumar blamed his break-ups with BJP on “some people in my own party” but asserted, “I have committed the mistake twice. But it is going to be never again”.
