In a sharp response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the Bihar caste survey, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today accused the Congress MP of trying to take credit for something he has not done.
#WATCH | Patna: When asked “Rahul Gandhi is taking credit for the caste census in Bihar”, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar says, “… Has he forgotten when the caste census happened? I conducted it in the presence of 9 parties. In 2019-2020, I would talk about conducting caste census… pic.twitter.com/TZJ9XZ5SqO
– ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2024
“Has he forgotten when the caste census happened? I conducted it in the presence of nine parties. In 2019-2020, I would talk about caste census everywhere, from assembly to public meetings. I also met the Prime Minister. I did it. They (Congress) were on the other side then. If someone tries to take false credit… Let it be,” Mr Kumar told the media this morning.
In a scathing attack on the Bihar Chief Minister, days after he parted ways with the RJD and Congress and rejoined the NDA, Mr Gandhi claimed that Mr Kumar wriggled out of the Opposition bloc because he felt “trapped” after the caste survey. “You need to understand that Nitish Kumar was feeling trapped after the Congress and RJD ensured that a caste survey was held. The BJP provided him with a way out,” he said at a rally in Bihar’s Purnea.
The Congress MP is now in Bihar for the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Congress’s last-ditch attempt to rally support for the Lok Sabha polls.
