JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is rumoured to emerge as a prime ministerial candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, warned Muslim voters against getting divided by the BJP and AIMIM.
Patna,UPDATED: Jan 3, 2023 11:03 IST
Nitish Kumar warned Muslims against getting divided by the BJP and the AIMIM (File photo)
By Rohit Kumar Singh: Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar started a new strategy to prevent the fragmentation of the Muslim vote bank. He held a closed-door meeting with Muslim intellectuals on Monday and warned them against the BJP and AIMIM, saying the two parties will “try to disturb communal harmony”.
The meeting, which was held at his official residence, was attended by Muslim intellectuals belonging to different sects, but Muslim leaders from the Janata Dal United were not invited to it.
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WHAT DID NITISH KUMAR SAY?
In the meeting, Nitish Kumar raised apprehensions about the BJP getting active ahead of the 2024 elections and trying to disturb communal harmony. He appealed to the Muslim intellectuals to remain on high alert against divisive forces.
He also warned the Muslim community to be cautious of AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi’s party, which according to him was the B team of BJP. He said that leaders like Asaduddin Owaisi used hate comments to destroy the communal atmosphere, leading to division of Muslim votes.
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The JD(U) leader is also believed to have communicated how his government has worked over the last 18 years for the upliftment and development of Muslims in Bihar.
Nitish’s warning follows the division of the Muslim vote bank during the 2020 Bihar Assembly Elections in the Seemanchal region, which caused damage to the RJD because of AIMIM. His new strategy is aimed at uniting Muslims against the BJP in 2024 so the vote bank does not get divided, leading to the saffron party’s victory.
The Bihar Chief Minister has been on a mission to unite the opposition parties against the BJP and met with the leaders of Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Janata Dal (Secular), and CPI(M) a few months ago.
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