NEW DELHI: Posters demanding for Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to be awarded with the “Bharat Ratna” were seen outside the Janata Dal (United) party office and several places in Patna, according to news agency ANI on Saturday.
A poster calling India’s highest civilian award for the chief minister was spotted near the entrance of the JD(U) office on Birchand Patel Marg, where Nitish and the party’s top leader, was attending the state executive meeting at the same location.
“We cannot say that demand for Bharat Ratna is the JD(U)’s official stand. Maybe, out of a sense of modesty, our leader would even frown upon such vehemence. But deep within every JD(U) worker believes that Nitish Kumar deserves the highest honour,”a senior JD(U) leader said.
Nitish has held the position of chief minister since 2005, making him the longest-serving chief minister of Bihar. The only exception was a brief period when Jitan Ram Manjhi, now a Union minister, held the post.
Amidst these developments, the opposition party, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), attempted to create a rift between the JD(U) and its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), by accusing the latter of sabotage.
RJD spokesman Mrityunjay Tiwary said, “Nitish Kumar is under pressure from the BJP to vacate his chair. The JD(U) meeting has been called to find a way out. The posters demanding Bharat Ratna are proof that the party is in disarray.”
Earlier on Friday, Nitish Kumar while reviewing the flood situation in Bihar revealed that a sum of Rs 307 crore has been directly transferred to the bank accounts of 4.39 lakh families affected by the first phase of floods across 13 districts in the state.
“Today, from ‘Sankalp’ at 1 Anne Marg, Rs 307 crore was transferred directly to the accounts of 4.39 lakh families across 13 districts affected by the first phase of floods through DBT at a rate of Rs 7,000 per family. Instructions have been given to transfer the amount to the remaining flood-affected families before Durga Puja,” the Bihar CM had said.