As the Bihar allies — JD(U) and Bharatiya Janata Party — are contesting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections separately, the former on Sunday hinted that the fight between them is not going to be friendly. The JD(U) faulted the BJP for showcasing the Bihar model of development in the run-up to the Assembly polls.
The BJP’s Bihar ally insisted that when the saffron party is projecting Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as its star campaigner in Uttar Pradesh, it could have been better if it had showcased the Gujarat model of development instead of Bihar.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, in its vision document for Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, has highlighted the “susashan” (good governance) of the BJP-JD(U) coalition government in Bihar, while focusing especially on infrastructure development. It has also promised that if voted to power the party would replicate the Bihar model in Uttar Pradesh.
Sharply reacting to the BJP’s move, JD(U) general secretary K.C. Tyagi, who is considered to be a close confidant of party president Sharad Yadav said, “Since they (Bharatiya Janata Party) have chosen Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as their star campaigner, it would have been better if Bharatiya Janata Party had talked about Gujarat model.”
Mr Tyagi was of the view that the success of the Bihar model was mainly due to chief minister Nitish Kumar and that he expected his party to benefit by highlighting Bihar’s good governance. He also informed that Mr Kumar would campaign for JD(U) candidates in Uttar Pradesh.
Another party MP Ali Anwar, the Muslim face of the outfit, said Bharatiya Janata Party had got the Muslim votes in Bihar because of Mr Kumar but the same advantage would not be there for it in Uttar Pradesh where the two parties are contesting separately.
Meanwhile, when confronted with the posers thrown at it by the alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that it was an “equal partner” in Bihar and there is nothing wrong in it talking about “good governance” in the state.
“BJP has equal share in the success of Bihar model of development and hence has the right to highlight it,” BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said.