Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday called the Union home minister a novice in politics while carrying forward the ongoing battle with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over stalwart socialist leader and freedom fighter Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly known as JP.
“When did he (Shah) come into politics? He (Shah) started just 20 years ago. Such people had nothing to do with JP. Let them speak whatever they want. Do they have any idea about JP? These people do not know anything,” Nitish told reporters.
Nitish, while speaking on the sidelines of a programme at which he paid tributes to another famous socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia on the occasion of his death anniversary, asserted that such people (Shah) have got an opportunity and they keep talking whatever they want to without having any relation with JP.
“Everybody knows about our relationship with JP. We were part of the JP movement (in the 1970s) and we worked under his leadership. We had an attachment with him. And these people preach us about JP,” he added.
Nitish was reacting to Shah’s allegations at a public meeting at JP’s native village Sitab Diara in Saran district on the occasion of his birth anniversary on Tuesday that “the disciples of JP have forgotten his principles to sit in the lap of the Congress for the sake of power.”
JP had spearheaded protests against the then Congress governments at the Centre and in several states in the 1970s, targeting them over high inflation, unemployment, corruption, lack of essential commodities, brutal suppression of the people and students. He had gone on to give the concept and cry of “total revolution” in 1974 and led the fight against the Emergency imposed on June 25, 1975.
Nitish and his Janata Dal United (JDU) and the BJP are fighting it out with each other to project themselves as the true heir of JP more so because he is a symbol of probity, transparency, accountability, honesty and selfless politics in Independent India. He stands in the league of Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave, BR Ambedkar and other such leaders.
The BJP is aiming to use JP’s name to woo voters and target Opposition leaders facing corruption charges in Bihar. Shah, during his visit to Sitab Diara, unveiled a 15-feet-high statue of the leader and made it clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was implementing the thoughts and policies put forth by the socialist leader.
On the other hand, the JDU is also determined to project itself as the party that is treading the path shown by JP.
Seeing the BJP’s thrust, Nitish also came up with several programmes to counter it. He also inaugurated a road for better connectivity to Sitab Diara, upgraded an existing additional primary health centre and named it after JP’s wife Prabhawati Devi.
Nitish also went to Nagaland on Tuesday to attend a programme on JP, who had spent three years from 1964 to 1967, working there to promote peace amid a secessionist movement.