Chirag Paswan recently said that Nitish Kumar “will never return as senior minister”. (File)
Patna:
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who faced an onion attack at a recent town hall meeting while campaigning for state polls, has received support from his rival from the opposition Tejashwi Yadav yesterday, who condemned the incident. His ally turned critic Chirag Paswan was less charitable.
“Instead of asking people to come see him and talk about their problems, he prompted them and said ‘pheko, pheko aur phekoParty leader Lok Janshakti said today.
Chirag Paswan’s attacks on the chief minister have been increasingly bitter since he announced his decision to run for Bihar elections separately from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and sever ties with Nitish Kumar while staying with the BJP.
He recently said that Nitish Kumar “will never return as chief minister” after November 10 (Bihar results day).
In contrast, Tejashwi Yadav, the main ministerial face of the opposition coalition, gave a measured response to Nitish Kumar’s onion attack by a crowd and said there were other ways to protest.
“I condemn the incident. There are other forms of protest in a democracy like voting. This incident should not have happened. I don’t like it. Our fight is based only on questions,” he said. Mr. Yadav said, according to ANI.
On Tuesday, Nitish Kumar was campaigning in Madhubani for the state election which ended on Saturday when onions were thrown on the scene. His security guards instantly formed a shield around him as he continued his speech.
“Khub Feko, Khub Feko, Khub Feko (keep throwing), ”the Chief Minister called to his attacker.
When the man throwing onions was apparently caught by security personnel, Nitish Kumar said, “Let him go, don’t mind him.”
Mr Kumar is believed to face a relatively more difficult challenge this time around as he contemplates a fourth consecutive term. He and his ministers have faced public anger during their campaign, with the opposition highlighting the jobs and migrant crises.
