Farmers Movement Archive

When Nitish Kumar met PM Modi first time after polls, backed farm laws

PATNA: Bihar CM and senior JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar on Thursday told media persons in New Delhi that he fully backed the three contentious farm bills and believed that the legislations were in the interest of the farmers. He also dispelled the rumours that the NDA government led by him wouldn’t last the full term. Nitish was talking to media persons after his first meeting with PM Narendra Modi since the state assembly election in November last year. He said he had come to meet the PM to extend his thanks for the latter’s support during the 2020 assembly polls. “During the assembly election, the PM made several trips to Bihar and extended all support to the NDA candidates. So, I came to meet him and thank him,” Nitish said. On the farmers’ agitation, the CM said the Centre is holding talks with the farmers on certain issues in the three farm bills, and he hoped that the issues between the government and the agitating farmers would be resolved soon. Asked if he had a discussion with the PM on the issue of agitating farmers, Nitish said there was no need for any discussion (with the PM) on the issue. “You all know our (JD-U) stand on the farm bills. The Union government has been holding talks with the farmers, and it wants to hold further talks with the farmers. Talks are going on at some places. I hope the issue (between the Centre and farmers) will be resolved either today or tomorrow,” Nitish added. “What is the aim of the three farm legislations?” Nitish asked and quickly replied, “They are in the interest of the farmers. Whatever legislations have been framed they all are in the interest of farmers.” Nitish also made light of the claims of Bihar’s opposition parties that his coalition government would not last its full term. “If the opposition leaders are getting publicity out of their claim, then there is nothing wrong with that. They (opposition leaders) are ignorant of the ground realities in Bihar,” Nitish said in a lighter vein. It was Nitish’s first meeting with PM Modi after a coalition government headed by him assumed office Bihar in November last year. The CM’s last visit to the national capital was in March last year before the country-wide lockdown was enforced due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The CM clarified that he came to meet the PM with no specific demand. “There was no specific demand or issue. It was just a mutual talk on different issues. In our alliance, we keep meeting and keep holding talks regularly. I had not come to meet the PM with any demand. We keep talking on different issues be it environment or education,” Nitish told reporters. Asked whether he talked about JD(U)’s inclusion in the Union cabinet, Nitish said there was no talk on such issues “from our side”. “There was no talk on the issue of JD(U) inclusion in the Union cabinet from our side. We didn’t hold any talk on such issues, but we are together at the Centre,” the Bihar CM said. Nitish was accompanied by JD(U) leader in Lok Sabha and Munger MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh and Nalanda MP Kaushlendra Kumar when he went to meet the PM in Parliament House. CM calls on VP in Delhi: Chief minister (CM) Nitish Kumar called on Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu at the Upa Rashtrapati Niwas in Delhi on Thursday. “It was a courtesy visit to the Vice-President after Nitish Kumar took charge as the CM of Bihar for the fourth consecutive term in November last year,” a senior JD (U) leader told TOI over the phone. Earlier on Wednesday, the CM had met Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda in Delhi. He is learnt to have a long discussion with Nadda on different political issues, especially LJP president Chirag Paswan’s role in the NDA. Nitish is on a three-day trip to the national capital. He is expected to return to Patna on Friday afternoon.

The Times of India

2021-02-12

Patna