JD-U says no to Narendra Modi, Varun Gandhi campaigning in Bihar

Giving clear indications of its opposition to Narendra Modi and Varun Gandhi campaigning in Bihar for the upcoming assembly elections, JD(U) today said that the "old arrangement will continue both in seat sharing as well election campaign."

"The arrangement between BJP and JD(U) during previous assembly election will continue even in this election in the matter of seat sharing. Regarding campaign also, the old arrangement is applicable," JD(U) president Sharad Yadav told reporters in New Delhi after the conclusion of the two-day national executive of the party.

He was responding to questions whether the JD(U) would have any objections to Narendra Modi campaigning in the state for the assembly elections.

Modi had not campaigned for the NDA in Bihar in any election after the Godhra riots of 2002. JD(U), which has been consistently making attempts to woo Muslim electorates in the state, had strongly opposed to Modi's coming to Bihar for even Lok Sabha election campaign in 2009.

Asked to specify whether he is ruling out the possibility of Modi campaigning there, Yadav said he has made the position "very clear and there are better ways to say anything".

To a query on whether the party will prevent BJP MP Varun Gandhi, who had raked up a controversy with his hate speech during last Lok Sabha election, from campaigning in Bihar, Yadav shot back, "Who is Varun Gandhi?"

Sources said that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, in his concluding speech during the meet today, also said the election arrangement for BJP and JD(U) in Bihar will be a continuance of the past both in number of seats to be contested by each party as well as election campaign strategy.

Kumar also justified his returning the flood relief money given by the Gujarat government for Kosi in June this year in the wake of the controversy over newspaper advertisements lauding Gujarat's liberal help for flood victims of Bihar and posters showing Kumar sharing dais with Modi, they said.

Reaching out to Muslims, the JD(U) had also sought a sub-plan for Muslims on lines of the tribal sub-plan to provide a dedicated fund for areas dominated by the community.

It also sought the implementation of the Rangnath Mishra Commission report, which has recommended reservation for Muslims as well as Scheduled Caste status to dalits among Christians and Muslims, to which BJP is strongly opposed.

Yadav, however, downplayed the differences between the two parties saying, "Our alliance is very old. It will continue."

The party passed a total of six resolutions in the last two days on political, centre-state relationship, corruption, foreign policy, achievements of the alliance government in last five years and the last seeking special state category for Bihar.

However, the meet skipped the contentious issue of women reservation bill, which had led to a virtual divide in the party during budget session of the Parliament with senior leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish deciding to support the measure and Sharad Yadav sticking to the party's old line of opposing it in its present form.

"It was not discussed here," Yadav told reporters in reply to a query.

He also downplayed differences between him and Kumar over the issue saying "it's an old issue. There are no differences". He, however, declined to say whether either of them changed their stand on the matter.

During the meeting, the party also highlighted the achievements of Nitish's five-year tenure in Bihar.

"It was decided that we will fight the assembly elections in Bihar on the plank of the work we had done there in the last five years. Development carried by the state government led by Nitish Kumar will be the key issue," Yadav said.

The party resolution, while seeking special state status for Bihar, attacked the Centre alleging that it is not supporting the state adequately.

The party also authorised Kumar to unite all non-Congress chief ministers together on the issue of Centre-state relations and demanded decentralisation of powers.

In his speech, the Bihar chief minister is learnt to have stepped up his attack on the Centre for "encroaching" upon state rights and increasing the volume of central schemes to be implemented in states "despite a unanimous resolution adopted in the National Development Council to the opposite".

Yadav said the party will raise the issue in Parliament after discussing it with other non-Congress state governments.

He attacked the union ministers going to Bihar and "making statements against the state government".