"Nitish Kumar is aware that he will not become CM this time": Congress leader Ashok Gehlot

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], November 1 : Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar following the release of the NDA's election manifesto, saying that Kumar "knows he won't become Chief Minister this time".
Speaking to ANI, Gehlot said, "Nitish Kumar is aware that he will not become the Chief Minister this time, which is why he is not making any commitments to the public. The new Chief Minister will be decided after the election."
Gehlot further said that Nitish Kumar was "insulted by the BJP" during the manifesto press conference.
Expressing confidence in winning the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, Gehlot said that the Mahagathbandhan is "set to form the government in Bihar this time".
"Nitish Kumar was insulted by the BJP during yesterday's press conference. The Mahagathbandhan is set to form the government in Bihar this time," he said.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah today urged the people of Bihar to support the NDA alliance in the forthcoming assembly elections, highlighting the works done by the NDA government in the past and commitments outlined in the NDA's 'Sankalp Patra'.
Amit Shah, who could not fly to Gopalganj due to bad weather conditions, addressed a virtual public rally and said, "I apologise for the large number of people gathered here in support of the NDA. But due to bad weather, permission was not granted to travel from Patna to Gopalganj, so I am speaking to you all virtually."
Reaffirming the NDA's commitment to empowering farmers and women in Bihar, Shah underlined that the NDA's recently released manifesto outlines a clear roadmap for Bihar's progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
He said, "Yesterday, we released our manifesto. We have announced numerous blueprints for the development of Bihar. But there are two major things--one for farmers and one for women--that I want to reiterate. Just now, PM Modi and Nitish Kumar have transferred Rs 10,000 to the bank accounts of 1 crore 41 lakh Jeevika Didi. We will send an amount of up to Rs 2 lakh to all those Jeevika Didi in their accounts through different means. PM Modi provides Rs 6,000 per year to 87 lakh farmers; after forming the NDA government, the amount will increase to Rs 9,000."
In a sharp attack on the opposition, the Home Minister alleged that during the 'jungle raj' era, Bihar witnessed rampant lawlessness and criminal activities.
"People of Gopalganj know about the deeds of Sadhu Yadav. During the time of jungle raj, countless murder incidents happened. Instead, PM Modi and Nitish Kumar worked for good governance in Bihar," Shah stated.
The Union Minister further assured that the NDA government will revive all defunct sugar mills in the state within the next five years. Shah asserted, "PM Modi has made a very good effort to restart the closed sugar mills. The Riga sugar mill has been restarted. In the district, we have undertaken the work to start three sugar mills, an ethanol plant, rice mills, flour mills, and a dairy plant. We will work for the prosperity of farmers by restarting all the closed sugar mills of Bihar within the next 5 years. People of Mahathugbandhan are talking about the MSP. I want to tell the farmers of Bihar that in 2014-15, the MSP of paddy was Rs 1,310; we have increased it to Rs 2,400. There is increase in 81%."
"Our NDA government has undertaken numerous such development projects. I want to say that you should ensure the victory of candidates from the BJP, JDU, and our allies in all Gopalganj seats... Take Bihar forward under the leadership of PM Modi and Nitish Kumar," the Union Minister added.
The NDA members in Bihar jointly released their manifesto 'Sankalp Patra' in Patna on Friday in the high-stakes assembly elections.
In the manifesto, the NDA has promised to provide over one crore government jobs and employment opportunities, conduct a skills census to provide skills-based employment, and establish mega skill centres in every district, transforming Bihar into a 'Global Skilling Centre'.
The Mahagathbandhan has also released its manifesto, Tejashwi ka Prann, a few days ago.
The voting for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. The results for both will be declared on November 14.