Won't protest against Bihar CM's Mumbai visit: Raj

Bihar Diwas celebration is a socio-cultural event, it has nothing to do with politics, says Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. M I Khan reports

Ignoring Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray's threat against entering Mumbai to attend the Bihar Diwas celebrations, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday declared that he will visit the city.

Kumar, however, made it clear for the first time that the Bihar Diwas celebration in Mumbai on Sunday was not a political event.

"I will visit Mumbai to attend Bihar Diwas celebrations," Nitish Kumar told reporters in Patna.

Raj Thackeray, on Friday afternoon, however, said that he won't protest against Nitish Kumar's visit to Mumbai. Thackeray said he spoke to the chief minister of Bihar and that the matter was settled.

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The Bihar chief minister said that the celebrations on Bihar Diwas was not a political event but a "socio-cultural event, it has nothing to do with politics".

Nitish Kumar said that Bihar is on the path of development. "People outside Bihar should be happy that Bihar is moving ahead," he said.

Bihar's main opposition party the Rashtriya Janata Dal had urged Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday to ignore Raj Thackeray's threat and go ahead and attend the Bihar Diwas celebrations in Mumbai on April 15.

"Nitish Kumar must attend Bihar Diwas celebrations in Mumbai to make a mockery of Raj Thackeray's threat," RJD general secretary Ram Kirpal Yadav said.

Yadav said that Mumbai is not a fiefdom of Raj Thackeray and people of Bihar have every right to celebrate it in Mumbai.

"Nitish Kumar should give a fitting reply to Raj Thackeray by attending Bihar Diwas celebrations. If he fails to attend the celebrations it will give a boost to Raj Thackeray's hate politics," Yadav, an RJD MP said.

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Another RJD leader Samrat Choudhary urged Nitish Kumar to visit Mumbai to attend celebrations as the chief guest.

"Nitish Kumar should attend Bihar Diwas celebrations in Mumbai to prove Raj Thackeray wrong, Choudhary said.

Raj Thackeray had threatened to disrupt the Bihar Diwas celebrations in Mumbai. Since the past fortnight, the MNS has been vociferously opposing 'Bihar Day' celebrations and even challenged Nitish Kumar to enter Mumbai for the celebrations.

This prompted Nitish Kumar last week to comment that he was free to travel anywhere in the country and did not need a visa to come to Mumbai.

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