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Congress started dynastic politics in India: Nitish Kumar

Nitish, who dumped RJD and Congress and joined hands with the BJP in July this year, backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a host of issues including simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls.

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Nitish Kumar with his deputy CM Sushil Modi at a Lok Samvad event on Monday.
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Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) president Nitish Kumar on Monday targeted ally-turned-foe Congress, saying dynastic politics originated in the nation because of the Grand Old Party.

“I have always been against dynastic politics. It was started by the Congress and later other parties joined the club. But familial politics has not been a culture of our country,” said Nitish at his weekly Lok Samvad in Patna on Monday, while replying to a reporter's query on Rahul Gandhi's comments in California about how ingrained dynastic politics is in India.

Nitish said, “It is not necessary that people from a certain family will have leadership skills. Even those without a political background can reach great heights. Their performance can also be good.” He attacked the Congress government in Karnataka for its “failure to solve” journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder.

Nitish, who dumped RJD and Congress and joined hands with the BJP in July this year, backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a host of issues including simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls. “In principle, I am in favour of conducting Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Panchayats and local bodies elections simultaneously. This is a very good thing. At present, elections are held almost every year, interrupting developmental works. An elected government should get full time to finish its works,” he said.

The Bihar chief minister, however, ruled out mid-term polls in Bihar and said, “When JD (U) state president Bashishtha Narayan Singh said he supported simultaneous elections, he did not mean that we want assembly polls in 2019. If any such thing happens, it will be from 2024, but his statements were highlighted in wrong context.” Nitish recalled 1967, the year till when both state and central governments were elected simultaneously.

Modi also found support in Nitish on the issue of rising petroleum and diesel prices. “The ups and downs in the prices will continue as it is fixed daily, though I feel there should be some limit to it. Whether or not it should be brought under GST will have to be decided by the GST Council,” he said. 

Asked about his stand on Rohingya Muslims, Nitish, who receives support from the minority community in Bihar, said, “I have not discussed it with my party yet but personally, I have a liberal humanistic view.”

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