'The name will be declared at the right time.'
In a setback to the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal, its MLA Bharat Bind resigned from the RJD and the Bihar assembly on Thursday.
He made it clear about joining the Bharatiya Janata Party to contest the next month's Bihar assembly polls.
Bind, who belongs to the extremely backward classes (EBC), was elected from the Bhabua assembly constituency in the 2020 assembly polls on an RJD ticket.
His importance in the BJP lies in the fact that EBCs are considered loyal to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United.
Bind is a former state head of the Bahujan Samaj Party and had unsuccessfully contested the 2015 assembly polls. Later he joined the RJD.
"Prime Minister Modi's work for the poor and marginalised is the real social justice," Bind tells Rediff Senior Contributor M I Khan.
Why did you quit the RJD ahead of next month's assembly polls?
I was not comfortable, and the party's style of functioning disillusioned me.
The BJP has offered me to nominate me on its party ticket, so I decided to formally resign from the RJD.
I will soon formally join the BJP and will contest the polls.
There is an allegation that you were hobnobbing with the BJP since last year's trust vote in the state assembly, as you sat with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MLAs. It had angered the RJD leadership.
Yes, I was with them then. As you know, I left the RJD in March itself and now the BJP's offer to contest polls was a big opportunity for me.
In a democracy, everyone is free to take their own decision. If I decided to do so, it is part of my democratic freedom.
In politics nothing is permanent, as I found something better in the BJP than the RJD, so I have hands with it.
This time it appears that the battle is a close one in Bihar, and both the NDA and Mahagathbandhan claim they will win and form the next government.
The NDA will return to power again as the people have made up their mind to support and vote for it.
There is no anti-incumbency and the NDA's development works, welfare schemes and Prime Minister Narendar Modi's popularity will help us.
But who will be the next chief minister? The NDA has not declared its chief ministerial candidate so far.
It will be decided by the BJP high command and the name will be declared at the right time. It is the party (BJP) that will decide the next chief minister.
What about Nitish Kumar as the next chief minister?
As of now, he is the chief minister and the NDA will contest polls under his leadership.
I am a party worker, how can I say that Nitish Kumar will continue as chief minister?
Small allies of the NDA are reportedly delaying seat-sharing.
Everything is all right in the NDA, seat-sharing has been settled. There is no problem.
Five parties of the NDA, including the BJP, JD-U, Lok Janshakti Party-Ramvilas of Union Minister Chirag Paswan, Hindustani Awam Morcha of Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and Rashtriya Lok Morcha of of former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha are united and intact.
But reports doing the rounds suggest that Paswan, who called himself the Hanuman of Prime Minister Modi, and Manjhi, who called himself the Chela of Modi, have been creating trouble in the NDA.
No, it is not true, now all is well in the NDA.
You belong to a marginalised community, yet you are leaving RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who is projected as a social justice messiah.
PM Modi has been doing development and empowerment of all sections of society. This is real social justice.
Modi is trying hard to improve the poor, marginalised and backwards.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff
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