Sushant Rajput Finds A Mention In CM Nitish’s Rally
PATNA: Sounding the poll bugle, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched his re-election campaign with a ‘Nischay Samwaad’ rally on Monday – where deceased actor Sushant Singh Rajput found a mention.
In a first, Mr Kumar also raised the Sushant Rajput issue today. The death of the actor — considered suicide by the Mumbai police — became a subject of a huge political tussle between Bihar and Maharashtra till the Supreme Court upheld the case filed in Bihar and transferred the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The Chief Minister said he started the investigation and handed the case over the CBI since “the Mumbai Police was not doing anything”. He also expressed confidence that the inquiry will do justice to the memory of the actor, who was from Bihar.
While Kumar spoke in length on state’s COVID-19 preparations, his government’s social schemes, he also stated that not just Bihar, entire India was saddened by actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s demise.
Rajput – who hailed from Patna – has become a poll issue with most Bihari politicians demanding a CBI investigation into his death, which was finally accepted by the Supreme Court. In his ‘Nischay Samwaad’, Kumar connected with 10 lakh people virtually on JDUlive.com and other social media portals.
Nitish Kumar launched his campaign today for the coming state elections with a focus on arch-rival Lalu Yadav. Seeking re-election for the third time at a digital rally, he urged voters to compare his 15 years with the previous 15 years of the RJD regime.
The battle may get personal with Nitish Kumar inducting Chandrika Rai, whose daughter Aishwarya Rai is the estranged wife of Lalu Yadav’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav. The Chief Minister even referred to her at his rally.
“See what kind of treatment they gave to Aishwaya Rai, who is the grand-daughter of former Chief Minister Daroga Prasad Rai and daughter of Chandrika Rai, who joined the Janata Dal United last month,” the Chief Minister said.
In a hint that he might field her in the coming elections that are due later this year, he said, “We will take it to the public, how they were insulted by the patriarchs of the RJD”. Tej Pratap Yadav and his wife separated last year, barely six months after their marriage.
Initially, Aishwarya Rai had stayed back at his house to salvage the marriage. But later, she had complained to the Patna police, accusing her husband and in-laws of domestic violence, after which a FIR was filed. Her mother-in-law Rabri Devi, she claimed, had thrashed her and evicted her from the house when their divorce case was pending in court.
Meanwhile, BJP has already held its two-day state executive committee meeting on August 22-23 through a virtual medium which was addressed by its national president J P Nadda, general secretary (organization) B L Santhosh, general secretary Bhupender Yadav. Currently, LJP is holding a party meet to decide whether it will remain in the NDA or split after party chief Chirag Paswan’s constant tiff with CM Nitish Kumar.
Bihar will go to polls amid the COVID-19 pandemic in October-November, with the EC releasing guidelines for conducting polls. As BJP lost in Delhi, all eyes are set on former party chief Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar led JDU.
While Kumar faces strong anti-incumbency, RJD – Bihar’s main opposition has lost the luster it once had due to the absence of it’s chief Lalu Prasad Yadav with his son Tejashwi, most likely to be named as CM hopeful. Currently, the JDU-BJP combination rules the state with 131 seats, while the RJD-Congress opposition has 111 seats.
Mr Kumar a five-time Chief Minister of Bihar — is making another bid to retain power amid huge opposition criticism of his handling of a number of issues. The list includes the coronavirus outbreak, the migrant crisis, trouble in the farm sector and an alleged lack of initiative to investigate the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
For months, he has been at odds with NDA ally Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janashakti Party. The LJP, which was to discuss the possibility of contesting against Mr Kumar in this election while being a part of the NDA, has left the decision to Mr Paswan.
(Bureau Report with Agency Inputs ).
