JOIN USNitish slams PM over anti-people policies
Three days after he shook hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the wedding of Lalu Prasad’s daughter in New Delhi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar came down heavily on Modi here on Sunday.
Launching a blistering attack on the BJP at the historic Gandhi Maidan here, Nitish, in his first rally after re-assuming power, castigated Modi for introducing a “black law” in the form of an altered land acquisition act and “duping” the middle class in the Union Budget.
He threatened hunger strike if the anti-farmer act was imposed on the country.
“When the land acquisition bill was passed by the UPA regime in 2013, the BJP had then claimed credit for amending the 150-year-old law and giving farmers more teeth. But after coming to power, they have taken an anti-farmer stand and diluted certain provisions in the law which have made the farmers rudderless,” said Nitish, addressing the JD-U workers’ rally on the occasion of his birthday.
“These BJP people are masters in spreading falsehood. They hoodwinked you in the name of bringing back black money. Now they say they can’t do so as it was not a poll promise but a ‘jumla’ (phrase) to make election speech look appealing. Similarly, they promised you employment generation but after coming to power put a blanket ban on fresh employment in government service,” he said.
“Of late, they have started a propaganda that states would be devolved more funds after accepting the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission.
“But the fact is that Bihar will get nearly Rs 15,000 crore less in view of the curtailed centrally-sponsored schemes and slashed BRGF (Backward Region Grant Fund),” Nitish said and dwelt at length on how the BJP did exactly opposite to what it said.
Sympathising with the middle class for being let down by the Centre in the Budget, the JD-U strongman said: “You were duped during polls by the promise of ‘achche din’. But actually, ‘achche din’ has come for corporate lords who got a five per cent cut in corporate tax, while you were left twiddling your thumb.”
To buttress his point, he said the top 10 industrialists close to the BJP leadership, whose assets together have gone up by Rs 82,460 crore in the last nine months.
“Out of this, one particular industrialist has seen his assets grow by Rs 16,740 crore since May last,” said Nitish, appealing everyone not to get misled during the Bihar Assembly polls later this year.