PM Modi endorses Nitish Kumar as NDA CM face, says 'Sushasan must continue in Bihar'

Endorsing JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar as the NDA's Chief Ministerial face, PM Modi on Sunday, said that he NDA must ensure that the 'sushasan' (good governance) in Bihar must continue, ahead of the Bihar polls. The Prime minister was attending virtually the inauguration of the Rs 900 crore - 193 km extension of the LPG pipeline from Durgapur in West Bengal to Banka in Bihar, and two LPG bottling plants in Banka and in East Champaran's Harsiddhi. The NDA (BJP-JD(U)-LJP) led by Nitish Kumar will face the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan this October-November for the Bihar assembly polls.

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PM Modi: 'Must ensure 'sushasan' continues'

"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has a very important role to play in taking Bihar forward on the path to progress. We must ensure sushasan [good governance] in Bihar. The good work done in the last 15 years must continue.  During the rule of Nitish ji, two large universities, one IIT, one IIM, one NIFT, one National Law Institute in Bihar have opened many big institutions," said PM Modi.

Bereaving the loss of senior RJD leader and former Union Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, PM Modi highlighted the letter sent by him to CM Nitish Kumar regarding MNREGA. Urging the CM to fulfill those recommendations, he said that Singh - who was former Minister for Rural Development and conceptualized the MNREGA scheme - had conveyed his concern for the development of Bihar and its people in the letter. Most top politicians have expressed their sorrow at Singh's demise with jailed RJD chief Lalu Yadav saying, "I told you that you are not going anywhere and you have gone so far away!".

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PM lauds CM Nitish Kumar's COVID efforts 

Lauding CM Nitish Kumar's efforts during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, he said that the country must not be lax about COVID-19 as there is no cure yet. Reminding people to maintain social distancing, maks, washing hands, he claimed that inspite of the pandemic - India had not stopped and neither had Bihar. Extolling about the three new petroleum projects, he said that the gas-based industry had the potential to create many job opportunities.

"We are advancing the development of every sector of Bihar, trying to solve the problems of each sector so that Bihar can take a new flight of development. Gas-based industry and petro-connectivity, it takes a lot of technical to hear, but they have a direct impact on people's lives, on the standard of living.  Gas-based industry and petro-connectivity also create millions of new employment opportunities".

 

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Bihar assembly elections 

Bihar will go to polls amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with the EC releasing guidelines for conducting polls. As BJP lost in Delhi, all eyes are set on former party chief Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar -led JDU. While Kumar faces strong anti-incumbency, RJD - Bihar's main opposition has lost the luster it once had due to the absence of it's chief Lalu Prasad Yadav - with his son Tejashwi, most likely to be named as CM hopeful.  Currently, the JDU-BJP combination rules the state with 131 seats, while the RJD-Congress opposition has 111 seats.