Union minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday expressed willingness to take “strong steps” to ensure that concerns of students protesting alleged irregularities in a recent BPSC exam were squarely addressed by the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar.
The Hajipur MP had a free-wheeling interaction with the media in Patna on the sidelines of a feast organised by his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) on the occasion of the Makar Sankranti festival.
Asked about the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) exam row, Paswan said, “I have said it in the past and wish to reiterate that Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is with the students on the issue. We believe that their voices must be heard and a solution must be arrived at.” A large number of students have been demanding cancellation of the Combined Competitive Examination held on December 13, in which more than four lakh candidates had appeared, amid allegations of irregularities.
"As an NDA partner, my party has been raising the issue within the coalition, to the extent it is possible. We will be with the students under all circumstances. If required, we will not shy away from taking strong steps. We hope that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will listen to their grievances," Paswan said.
He also rejected the opposition charge that his failure to turn up at the party office when Kumar had arrived to attend the Makar Sankranti festivities, was tantamount to an “insult” to the septuagenarian.
The CM had reached the LJPP(RV) office around 10 am, nearly two hours before the feast was to officially start, sending the party’s functionaries into a tizzy. Kumar spent a few minutes at the Wheeler Road office.
"Please do not view it as an insult. I was at my residence, taking part in a puja which I could not leave midway. Else, I would have made a dash to the party office. I appreciate that the chief minister has a tight schedule and is entitled to plan his visits as per his convenience. We are thankful that he took time off and came down to our new office. My party colleagues tried their best to accord him a decent welcome," Paswan said.
He also exuded confidence that the NDA will win the assembly polls in Bihar, due later this year, when people would vote for a "double engine government".
"The people are aware of the priority Bihar is getting under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The state now has two AIIMS, a far cry from the past when the entire country had just one such super-speciality hospital," said Paswan.
He also claimed that the opposition 'Mahagathbandhan' will come apart, "as we have seen in Delhi where the Aam Aadmi Party’s decision to contest against the Congress is being backed by Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress".
"What a fall it has been for the Congress, from the heights it had scaled during the tenure of late Sheila Dikshit. Ever since the party’s leadership has fallen into the hands of Rahul Gandhi, it has been in disarray. But, it believes it performed well in the Lok Sabha polls and has grown ambitious. This would definitely have its consequences in Bihar where its allies will be unwilling to be too accommodating," the Hajipur MP said.
He scoffed at the suggestion that the RJD, which helms the 'Mahagathbandhan', was staying out of the electoral battle in Delhi to help the Congress.
"What presence does the RJD have in Delhi? Moreover, the huge Bihari population there has been a victim of their jungle raj, and if the party even campaigns for Congress or AAP, it would only backfire," claimed Paswan.
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