Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday extended his support to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in his fight against the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections. The two leaders lit candles at Bihar Samman Samaroh here, a ceremony to honour Biharis for their achievements in various fields, and demanded a “special status” for Bihar and “full statehood” for New Delhi.
Comparing the governance skills of Mr. Kumar with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s, Mr. Kejriwal said that the former helped him set up the anti-corruption branch by sending “honest” officers from Bihar. And Mr. Modi, he said, sent paramilitary troops to capture it. “Since then [June 8] the Chief Minister of Delhi has no control over the anti-corruption branch.”
Mr. Kejriwal said since the BJP undermined his fight against corruption by taking control over the anti-corruption branch the people should understand whether Mr. Kumar stood for the right cause or the BJP.
He also appealed to the Bihari diaspora in Delhi that against this backdrop they should impress upon their relatives back home to vote against the BJP
“Tell your relatives in Bihar and tell them about all this. I am sure the way history was written in Delhi [by defeating BJP], the same way history will be written in Bihar too,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
‘Give us special status’After thanking AAP for inviting him to New Delhi, Mr. Kumar countered the Prime Minister’s recently announced Rs. 1.25 lakh crore financial package for Bihar saying that instead of being short-changed the State deserved a “special status.”
“We don’t want these nickels and dimes,” said Mr. Kumar. “If you really want to give us something, give us Vishesh Raje [special status].”
In support of Mr. Kejriwal’s demand of full statehood for New Delhi, Mr. Kumar criticised the BJP government for coming in Mr. Kejriwal’s way and hampering the growth of the city.
