BJP not to send Modi and Varun for campaigning in Bihar-Nitish

Patna,(Bihar,Din Bhar): Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday took yet another volte face two days after giving a statement in New Delhi about Union home minister, P Chidambaram, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and young party leader Varun Gandhi.

While Nitish asked the Union home minster to talk less and work more he urged the BJP not to send Modi and Varun for campaigning in Bihar in the coming assembly election

On Monday he made a U-turn. He said that it was up to the BJP to decide whom to field as campaigners. He also clarified that his talk less, work more reference to Chidambaram after the Chhattisgarh incident was misinterpreted and taken out of context.

Whatever be Nitish’s clarification the fact is that he had reportedly expressed his reservation over Gujarat CM and Varun Gandhi. Even during the last Lok Sabha election campaigns he made a similar statement. It is other thing that after the electioneering was over in Bihar and before the counting Nitish publicly went hand-in-hand with Narendra Modi in a rally in Haryana.

Senior BJP leaders have made it clear that Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and Varun Gandhi are likely to attend the party national executive meet, due to be held in Patna soon.

It needs to be recalled that Narendra Modi wanted to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Nitish Kumar as the chief minister on November 24, 2005, but senior Janata Dal United leader, including Sharad Yadav, counselled the BJP not to do so as it would send a wrong signal. However, at the end of his tenure Modi is most likely to come to Bihar.

Regarding Nitish’s change of stand on Union home minister political observers are of the view that it does not behove a chief minister to make such a comment about a senior Union home minister and that too of Chidamabaram stature, who is taken in high esteem even by many of his critics. “Chidamabaram is not in the habit of talking too much. He is one of the most efficient home ministers of India in the recent years. In fact it is Nitish, who is talking too much to the media and losing his credibility. Now that he had realized his mistake he is accusing the Delhi media,” said an observer, who was earlier close to the Bihar chief minister.