Hitting out at the Congress, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who ditched the INDIA alliance to join the NDA last week, said Rahul Gandhi tried to take 'fake credit' for the caste census. He also lashed out at the INDIA bloc, stating that they " haven't decided which party will contest how many seats."
#WATCH | Patna: When asked "Rahul Gandhi is taking credit for the caste census in Bihar", Bihar CM Nitish Kumar says, "... Has he forgotten when the caste census happened? I conducted it in the presence of 9 parties. In 2019-2020, I would talk about conducting caste census… pic.twitter.com/TZJ9XZ5SqO
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2024
Nitish Kumar also claimed he was unhappy about the opposition alliance being named INDIA. "I was urging them to choose another name for the alliance. But they had already finalised it," Kumar said. He said he worked hard for the alliance but "they did not do even one thing."
"Till today they haven't decided which party will contest how many seats. This is why I left them and came back to who I was with initially. I will keep working for the people of Bihar," he added.
Nitish Kumar also took potshots at Rahul Gandhi, "Has he forgotten when the caste census happened? I conducted it in the presence of 9 parties. In 2019-2020, I would talk about conducting caste census everywhere, from the Assembly to public meetings. He is taking fake credit, what can I do? Let it be," he added.
Nitish's response comes as Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asserted that the Mahagathbandhan alliance does not need Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the cause. Speaking at the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra rally in Purnea district, Gandhi said the country needed a caste-based census to determine the exact population of Dalits, OBCs, tribals and others.
Nitish also targetted former deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, calling him a "kid". "He doesn’t know how much work JDU has done for the state," the Bihar CM said.
