Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday came out open in his support for his friend and the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in the latter’s ongoing political battle against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ending all speculation on whether he will campaign against the BJP in Bihar, Kejriwal said that he had accepted Nitish’s invitation to visit Bihar.
He said, “Nitishji has invited me to Bihar and I accept his invitation. I will go whenever he calls me.”
Both leaders shared stage together to address a function at Bihar Samman Samaroh in Delhi. Kejriwal taunted Modi if his promise of Rs 1.25 lakh crore worth financial package for Bihar will be delivered even after the defeat for his party in the elections.
He said, “Will Modiji give Bihar Rs 1.25 lakh crore only after BJP’s victory or even if they lose elections there? If Modiji has so much money, then I request him first pay for OROP, for which our soldiers have been protesting for so long. It was sad to see Modi ji bid for Bihar the other day. People of Bihar are not so cheap that they will sell their votes for Rs. 1.25 lakh crore.”
For weeks, there were media speculations if Kejriwal will campaign for Nitish Kumar, who had met the Delhi CM on several occasions in the past. On Tuesday night, he provided the first hint by taking a swipe at Modi for his DNA remarks against Nitish Kumar.
Analysts say that Kejriwal’s entry in Bihar even though his Aam Aadmi Party is not contesting there will make the poll battle incredibly interesting. The Delhi chief minister’s popularity among poor and minority makes his support for Nitish hugely significant.
Bihar is scheduled to go for polls later this year.