Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dismissed Rahul Gandhi's recent claim that the caste survey in the state was conducted under pressure from the Congress as "nonsensical." Speaking to reporters three days after his return to the BJP-led NDA alliance, Kumar, who is also the JD(U) president, asserted that he initiated the caste survey, and now others are trying to take credit for it.
In response to Rahul Gandhi's remarks during a public rally in Purnea district, Kumar stated, "His claim that the caste survey in the state was done under pressure from the Congress is nonsensical. Everybody knows that the initiative was taken by me only. Now, people are taking credit."
Kumar, expressing dissatisfaction with the nomenclature of the opposition bloc INDIA, which he recently left, mentioned, "They were not doing anything... not even discussing seat sharing. Frankly speaking, the name (INDIA) given to this alliance was not my choice at all. They decided on their own. Now, I have come back here (NDA). There is no question of going anywhere else."
Responding to questions about the Enforcement Directorate's actions against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and RJD leaders, Kumar remarked that the investigation agency is carrying out its work, investigating charges against them in cases related to money laundering and an alleged land scam.
Enforcement Directorate officials had reached Hemant Soren's residence in Patna on Wednesday to question him in connection with the money laundering case. Earlier, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad were also questioned in the same case on different days. The investigations by the Enforcement Directorate have added a layer of complexity to the political landscape in the region.
(With Agency Inputs)
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