Nitish, Raj soften Bihar Day stand

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Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi plays a drum during the traditional Assamese Bihu celebrations in Guwahati on Friday. — PTI

Bihar chief minister and JD(U) stalwart Nitish Kumar’s embattled plans to woo Mumbai’s Bihar-origin population in a celebration of Bihar Divas there became smoother on Friday after a telephonic talk between him and MNS chief Raj Thackeray.
Even as the tone of all of Bihar’s political parties turned combative in condemning Raj Thackeray’s latest objections to Bihar’s centenary celebrations in Mumbai, the stalemate eased with the MNS leader toning down his stance and Mr Kumar saying the Mumbai event on April 15 would only be a social and cultural event.
“This is a programme organised by the people who left Bihar to work in Mumbai and settled there. This is not a political programme. I will salute Mumbai’s soil on reaching there. Maharashtra’s saints and heroes have glorified the nation,” said Mr Kumar to journalists. “Nobody should oppose this event. The people of Maharashtra should be glad about the growth happening in Bihar. I hope they will cooperate fully,” he added.
JD(U) leaders said Mr Kumar would now have to be “extremely careful” in his speech to tens of thousands of Bihar-origin Mumbai residents expected to turn up to listen to him. “This is necessary to prevent any worsening of the already delicate situation of Bihari migrant workers in Mumbai in future. Kumar is very sensitive and he will have to keep in mind Thackeray’s wish about keeping politics out of the event,” said a senior JD(U) leader close to Mr Kumar.
Thackeray’s warning, however, could prevent Mr Kumar from speaking against the violence against Mumbai’s Bihari migrants by MNS activists in earlier years. He could also refrain from speaking in the controversial manner he did at a similar function in Delhi last month.
Bihar’s Opposition parties came out in support of the JD(U) strongman following Thackeray’s protests. “The CM must take part in the Mumbai programme at any cost. An all-party delegation from Bihar will accompany him to Mumbai if necessary,” said senior RJD legislator Samrat Chaudhary.
N.K. Singh, vice-president of the Bihar Front of Mumbai, an organisation of Bihari migrants based in the Maharashtra capital, said over five lakh people would attend the Bihar Divas celebrations there. “Our preparations have been on a high scale. People from every family (of Bihar origin) will attend the programmes,” he said.