BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said his virtual rally in Bihar "had nothing to do with" the party's poll campaign in the state which is scheduled to go to the Assembly elections in October-November this year.
While outlining the BJP-led central government's achievements in the last six years and lauding the JDU-BJP coalition government at the state level, Shah said his rally "had nothing to do with Bihar poll campaign" and was aimed at "connecting with people in the fight against COVID-19". However, the event, where the Union Home Minister addressed party workers and cadres, has been largely seen as a formal launch of the BJP's electoral campaign in Bihar.
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Shah further said, "This rally is aimed at connecting people with 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' campaign and BJP will have 75 such meetings."
Even though he said the rally was not about polls, he exuded confidence about the NDA's win in the coming elections. "I am sure NDA will get two-third majority under Nitish Kumar's leadership in Bihar assembly polls," Shah said.
In his address, Shah focused on the government's efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic and address migrant workers' crisis.
"Opposition leaders dismissed the PM's efforts to unite the country in the fight against COVID-19 as political propaganda. But the nation followed his appeals," he said.
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Speaking on steps taken with regard to migrant workers, a major chunk of whom hail from Bihar, Shah said, "Central govt safely ferried 1.25 crore migrants to their destinations after health infrastructure was ramped up to meet their needs."
He said that Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Sushil Modi lacked in doing publicity of their work. "I laud them for their government's work for people in COVID-19 crisis," he said.
"Bihar's growth rate was 3.9 per cent when RJD was ruling, it reached 11.3 per cent under Nitish Kumar; the state moved from 'lalten raj' to 'LED raj'," Shah said.
(With PTI inputs)
