Farmers Movement Archive

BJP, Congress netas trade barbs in poll-bound Bihar

PATNA: Central leaders of BJP and Congress on Saturday traded barbs while pitching for the victory of their respective alliances in the state assembly polls. BJP national president J P Nadda slammed the Grand Alliance, saying the RJD has been “naturally anarchic” that has now aligned with “destructive force” like the CPI(ML), while the Congress has associated itself with them. Nadda also slammed the Congress for “opposing” the abrogation of Article 370 that gave special status to J&K in the Indian Union, and said Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Article 370 had been used by Pakistan at the UN. Nadda was addressing a physical rally at Biharsharif, where he urged the people of Nalanda district to vote for the NDA candidates in all the seven constituencies. Referring to the 15-year rule of Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi, Nadda said it was marked by kidnapping for ransom, killing of even dalit DM G Krishnaiyya and firing on the state DGP. Meanwhile, senior Congress functionary and Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Bhagel countered the NDA by raising the issue of skyrocketing prices of onion, saying it was the impact of three newly made farm laws. “They have annulled Essential Commodities Act. As per the new law, the government will only interfere when there is a war or drought or prices increase by 100%. Now, they have given an order to check onion in godown, going against the laws they have just formulated. They have done this because of elections in Bihar,” Bhagel said. Union minister Smriti Irani took a jibe at incarcerated RJD chief Lalu Prasad, saying Biharis don’t pray for opportunities to earn money via ‘fodder scams’. “Bihar’s self-respecting people don’t pray to God for chance to get money in fodder scam. While praying to goddess Laxmi, they find that she neither comes by holding ‘haath’ of Congress nor brings ‘lalten’. She comes by sitting on ‘kamal’,” she said at Bikram assembly segment in Patna district. Senior Congress leader Alka Lamba, on the other hand, hit out at the state government over crime and atrocities on women in Bihar.

The Times of India

2020-10-25