Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Monday said he was sure Nitish Kumar would be back as the Chief Minister of Bihar after the next state election.
Paswan's assertion came on the heels of his public criticism of supporting the present Nitish government, charging it with having "surrendered" to criminals.
Addressing a gathering, the Union Minister for Food Processing Industries also criticized opposition parties of politicizing the Army while taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Operation Sindoor.
The Hajipur MP reaffirmed his allegiance to the NDA and emphasized his unshakeable commitment to PM Modi.
"Few times I have made it clear that my love and commitment remains with the Prime Minister. The elections (in Bihar) will be contested under PM Modi's leadership. Nitish Kumar will take oath as chief minister once again after election results. Without a doubt, he will be the chief minister," Paswan declared.
Referring to the current Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Paswan made it clear that these exercises have taken place before and the only novelty is the addition of digital submission.
"Previously, used to go for physical documentation and now online you can submit," he said.
He further added that Aadhaar cards do not have the information of the place of birth and stated that the new process consists of three stages of appeal for people who are being troubled.
"Opposition raised such a ruckus on this topic. Have they provided any evidence to prove if names have been deleted incorrectly?" he asked.
Paswan said the process would only remove wrongly registered names and would be careful not to harm any real voter. He further stated, "We also need to make sure intruders do not take advantage of our voters."
He also said that it was usually the Opposition who complained about voter rolls after each election.
"EVMs are okay now, voter rolls are a problem for them," Paswan said, suggesting that such updates would ultimately happen all over India. "By accident, it (SIR) is enacted in Bihar. In the next few days, it will be done in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu where elections will be held, and ultimately all over the nation."
Reaction to Opposition Criticism and Law and Order in Bihar
Reacting to the appeal from RJD MP Manoj Jha for a fact-finding committee to review Bihar's law and order, Paswan said, "I am a Bihari. I need not send a committee to know what is happening in my state. I know what is happening and thus expressed concern."
He explained that his attack on the state government was being misconstrued as rebellion. "When I raise this point, they spot my revolt. It is no revolt but a worry," he said.
Paswan blamed the Opposition for seeking to break up the NDA alliance to improve its own electoral chances. "They can win only by weakening the other side," he said.
Talking about the controversial Operation Sindoor, Paswan criticized Opposition leaders for questioning the legitimacy of the mission to target PM Modi.
"Operation Sindoor was undertaken by the Army not a minister. It was successful because of the Army. I credit the PM as will power is required for taking such a big decision. We were cautious about the sensitivity of the matter. To attack Prime Minister Modi, they (Opposition) are raising a question on Operation Sindoor. This is what kind of thinking?" he said.
Paswan also accused Opposition leaders of being dependent on outside opinions and rejecting the Indian government and its institutions.
"They think what the prime minister of some other nation has spoken. They think what the adjoining country has spoken. But they don't want to accept what our Army and the democratically elected government are accepting," Paswan said.
He also criticized Opposition MPs for calling for a special Parliament session to debate Operation Sindoor, then disrupting the proceedings once it was called.
"When it was called, what did they do? They raised ruckus and proceedings were adjourned twice. Is this your priority?" Paswan questioned.
He concluded by calling on the Opposition to debate issues instead of politicizing them.
"Policicising all issues is not a healthy sign. You raise questions to elicit response to the issue, but don't utilize the platform for political gain," he added.
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