Patna (Bihar) [India], October 17 (ANI): Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh and senior JDU leader on Friday praised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s work in Bihar, saying that there is no alternative to him in the state.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Harivansh highlighted Nitish Kumar’s vision, personal integrity, and transparency in politics.
“There’s no alternative to Nitish Kumar in Bihar. Among all the new people, if you compare Nitish’s vision, no one can match him–personal integrity and what we call transparency, which is remarkable when a person remains untainted in power for 20 years. No family member has been involved (in corruption). He emerged from Jayaprakash Narayan’s movement and practically implemented the ideals of Jayaprakash Narayan and Lohia in his life”, the Rajya Sabha Dy Chairman told ANI.
Harivansh attributed Bihar’s rapid reduction in poverty to Nitish Kumar’s leadership, citing the state’s progress in development and infrastructure.
“Bihar was one of the most underprivileged states in the country during the Congress era, but now, under the leadership of CM Kumar, the state has reduced poverty at a rapid pace,” the Rajya Sabha Dy Chairman told ANI.
He also praised Nitish Kumar, saying it is also “surprising” that such a person has shown “personal integrity and transparency” in politics, being influenced by Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia.
The Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman highlighted Nitish Kumar’s integrity and commitment to good governance, stating that despite being in power for 20 years, he had not used his position to increase his family’s wealth or status.
“He did not increase his family’s status and wealth by invoking the names of Jayaprakash Narayan and Lohia, and did not contribute to the growth of corruption, and did not become a symbol of misgovernance. Isn’t this a surprise for the entire country?” asked RS Dy Chairman, and Janata Dal (United) leader.
Decrying the state’s condition prior to the Nitish era, Harivansh criticised the RJD for keeping the state low in development and high in crime.
“Before Nitish Kumar took over Bihar in 2005, Bihar was the most unprivileged state in the country, the lowest on the development scale, crime was rampant, world’s papers and journalists used to say that this is a ‘democratic burden’, that is the situation the state Nitish Kumar took the state out of…But today you will be surprised to know that compared to many developed states of the country, Bihar has reduced its poverty very rapidly”, he told ANI.
He also criticised the Congress party for exploiting the state’s resources through policies like freight equalisation.
“They extracted minerals from there and did freight equalisation… When Bihar was with Jharkhand, it was the most mineral-rich state in the country, but by introducing the freight equalisation policy, it was discriminated against and pushed to the last position. This is the story of the Congress era”, he said.
The freight equalisation policy, implemented between 1952 and 1993, was designed to promote regional industrial development but ultimately discriminated against landlocked states, such as Bihar.
Continuing his attack on the Congress, the RS Dy Chairman accused the party of marginalising Bihar after independence.
“The Congress party inherited power from the British. Congress, on its journey of development, created a growth model. In that growth model, Bihar was kept at the margins. Bihar was not only the most agriculturally productive state in that period, but it was also prosperous in other respects. Bihar used to contribute significantly to the national GDP. But if you want to know how Bihar reached that impoverished and miserable state during the Congress era, I can tell you just one thing: they extracted minerals from there,” he said.
While mentioning the history of Bihar, the RS Dy Chairman highlighted that after the creation of the state from Jharkhand, Bihar was mistreated, with all industries and minerals being allocated to the other state.
“When Jharkhand separated, slogans were raised in Jharkhand: ‘What does Bihar have left? Potatoes, sand, and Lalu. Potatoes were the remaining agricultural produce, which wasn’t produced in large quantities at the time. All the economic resources and minerals went to Jharkhand, and all the industrialisation that had taken place in Bihar’s name went to Jharkhand. Bihar had nothing. And Lalu was a symbol of misrule, from abduction to kidnapping and all the other”, he said.
Polling for the Bihar elections 2025 will take place on November 6 and 11. The results will be announced on November 14.
The NDA has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, with the BJP and Janata Dal (United) set to contest 101 constituencies each. Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) have been allotted six seats each, while Union Minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest on 29 seats.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Tariq Anwar said there was “no harm” in announcing Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav as Mahagathbandhan’s Chief Ministerial candidate ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. (ANI)