BJP has stepped up its attack on LJP as party in charge of Bihar Bhupendra Yadav and Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday alleged that the LJP leader Chirag Paswan is misleading the people and creating confusion by taking the names of senior BJP leaders.
Calling the LJP leader a ‘vote katua’ Bhupendra Yadav tweeted, “Chirag Pawan wants to create confusion. In Bihar, the BJP, JD(U), VIP (Vikassheel Insaan Party) and HAM (Hindustani Awam Morcha) are in the NDA. We do not have any alliance with the LJP nor is it a part of the NDA. Chirag Paswan should not be confused nor spread confusion.”
On the other hand, hoping that the NDA would get three-fourths majority in Bihar Javedkar said that the BJP has no B or C team. He dubbed the LJP as a vote-cutter party. Incidentally Javadekar was the first BJP leader from outside Bihar (he is from Maharashtra) who has so categorically rejected the claim of Chirag that the latter is helping the BJP.
Chirag in a series of interviews to the print and electronic media has been showering praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but at the same time criticising Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. Even since October 6 the Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who is the most prominent face of the saffron party in the state and Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal has been targeting Chirag.
Even National President of the party J P Nadda and former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is overseeing the election in Bihar, have been avoiding direct criticism of Chirag.
It is to be seen what will be the Prime Minister’s response when he launches election campaign on October 23 in the state. He would be addressing 12 rallies in the next 10 days.
Javadekar’s Friday statement is being taken seriously in the political circle in Bihar. Analysts are of the view that the BJP may further harden its stand vis-a-vis the LJP as the latter is causing serious damage to the poll prospect of NDA candidates in a large number of seats.
