'Nitish Kumar is our CM today and he will be CM going forward also.'
'Nitish Kumar will continue as CM till he wishes.'
Firebrand Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Haribhushan Singh Thakur Bachaul is a vocal votary of Hindutva politics in Bihar. In March, saffron-clad Bachaul, who represents the Bisfi assembly seat, asked Muslims to stay indoors on Holi.
Earlier, he had demanded the withdrawal of voting rights for Muslims.
Bachaul targeted Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after he dumped the BJP in 2022 and joined hands with the Rashtriya Janata Dal. But after Nitish Kumar returned to the National Democratic Aliance fold in January 2024, Bachaul started praising him.
"Nitish Kumar's contribution in building modern Bihar is unparalleled. For us Nitish Kumar is the real builder of a developed Bihar," Bachaul tells Rediff Senior Contributor M I Khan.
The BJP appears reluctant to project Nitish Kumar as the NDA's chief ministerial candidate before the 2025 Bihar assembly elections.
This is not true, the BJP is with Nitish Kumar, our alliance is an old one.
Our party's top leadership has made it categorically clear that the NDA will contest the Bihar assembly elections under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's leadership.
There is no question, no doubt, no ifs and buts.
Nitish Kumar is our CM today and he will be CM going forward also.
If it is so, why are Narendra Modi and Amit Shah silent over this issue?
I am a simple BJP worker, what you are asking me is something big for me to answer. Only top leaders of the party can talk about it. I cannot.
There is speculation that the BJP will dump Nitish Kumar after the assembly polls.
Nitish Kumar will continue as CM till he wishes. Opposition leaders have been spreading lies and false propaganda.
A political narrative is gaining ground that the BJP is planning to replace Nitish Kumar as CM after playing second fiddle to him for the last two decades.
Look, every party want to play a big role and form a government of its own, but in Bihar we have an alliance with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United. There is no such things like big brother or junior partner, we are smoothly running the NDA government and it will continue after the elections as well.
Is it a political compulsion for the BJP to remain in alliance with Nitish Kumar to stay in power?
We are living in a coalition era and understand its importance in politics. The BJP and JD-U are together since 1996. As far as political compulsions are concerned, I don't think so.
Nitish Kumar's contribution in building modern Bihar is unparalleled. For us Nitish Kumar is the real builder of a developed Bihar.
Nitish's contribution to development is much more than anyone else.
There are reports that Nitish Kumar's physical and mental health have been deteriorating. Is it true?
He is one hundred percent healthy, there is no truth in the Opposition's allegations about his physical and mental health.
Political analysts say the alliance with Nitish Kumar is a must for the BJP to win elections in Bihar.
True, we need each other in Bihar. Nitish and his party's alliance is needed for the BJP because Nitish has a big support base, his vote bank is an added advantage for us.
The JD-U's support and Nitish's face along with the BJP's strong vote bank made our victory easy.
We have been winning elections after election on this formula.
I strongly feel that it is definitely necessary for the party to have Nitish Kumar.
How do you view the NDA's performance and strike rate in the next Bihar assembly elections?
The NDA is hopeful of performing better than 2010 in the 2025 assembly polls.
There are no differences and difficulty in finalising seat-sharing in the NDA. All allies will get their respectful seats.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan says he will contest the Bihar assembly polls.
What is wrong if Chirag Paswan contests the assembly polls?
If Chiragji wants to become a minister in Bihar to serve the people and help to develop the state, this is a positive step. But no one knows what will happen next in politics.
What is going to be the main issue for the NDA in the elections?
Development is only issue we have. Vikas, vikas, vikas will be our main issue in the polls.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff
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