No power, no politics: Bihar CM

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has promised that all villages in the state would get electricity by the end of 2015, failing which he would quit politics.

At the Independence Day celebrations programme at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna on Wednesday, Nitish said he will fully focus on power sector and if he fails to provide power in the villages within the next three years, he would not come seeking votes in the 2015 Assembly elections.

Earlier, in the 2005 Assembly elections, the JD-U strongman had promised to improve law and order in the state which he has largely delivered. Similarly, in the run-up to 2010 elections, he assured of a crackdown on corruption and setting up government schools and he has been working hard to fulfill his promise.

However, providing power to every household is a different game altogether as the state is dependent on Central agencies for the generation of power and distribute electricity through Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Pariyojna.

“Providing power to each and every household is impossible,” said Sadanand Singh, former Speaker and leader of the Congress. When told about Nitish’s promise, Singh quipped, “In that case, he will have to take sanyas (retirement) in 2015.”