Samrat Choudhary backs Nitish Kumar as NDA's CM face; hits back at Tejashwi Yadav

Patna, April 14 (IANS) Hours after Tejashwi Yadav's fiery remarks on Ambedkar Jayanti, accusing the BJP and NDA of being anti-reservation and anti-Ambedkar, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary fired back, strongly defending the NDA’s commitment to social justice and backing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the face of the alliance for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Speaking at the official launch of the ‘Dr. Ambedkar Samagra Seva Abhiyan’ – a campaign aimed at taking government schemes to Dalit and deprived communities – Deputy CM Choudhary emphasised that “this campaign is a step towards fulfilling Babasaheb Ambedkar's dream of inclusive development.”

Under the Abhiyan, officials will physically verify whether basic facilities like gas connections under the Ujjwala Yojana, health coverage under Ayushman Bharat, and basic infrastructure like drains and roads in Dalit hamlets have reached the intended beneficiaries.

“Wherever lapses are found, corrective action will be taken immediately,” said the Deputy CM.

On Tejashwi Yadav’s earlier charges, Choudhary launched a sharp personal attack, saying: “Your parents (Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi) looted Bihar. You talk about building universities, but when approval was given for 10 universities, only 2 were built under your government. Nitish Kumar made 23 universities a reality.”

Tejashwi Yadav earlier said that the BJP is anti-reservation as the Grand Alliance brought 65 per cent reservation and the BJP-led government failed to include it in the 9th schedule of the Indian Constitution.

He also said that every leader of the NDA wants to become the Chief Minister of Bihar.

Clearing the air on speculations following Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini’s projection of Samrat Choudhary as Bihar’s future CM, the Deputy CM said firmly: “The NDA government is united and will contest the Assembly elections under the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar. He is and will remain the face of the NDA in Bihar.”

He praised Nitish Kumar’s development work, mentioning the electrification of villages, road connectivity, and consistent efforts to create employment.

“If the people give us five more years, we will create opportunities that will bring back all those who left Bihar in search of work,” he added.

Earlier on Monday, Union MSME Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, too, played down speculation over the CM’s face and emphasised democratic procedure.

“This is a democracy. Baba Saheb Ambedkar has given us the right to vote. It is not appropriate to discuss the CM face before elections. The decision will be taken by the elected MLAs after the 2025 Assembly polls,” Manjhi stated in Patna.

--IANS

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