Patna, Sep 19 (IANS) After holding a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday chaired an important election strategy session at the JD-U state office in Patna where senior leaders, including Sanjay Jha and Ashok Choudhary, were present.

After the meeting, JD-U National Working President Sanjay Jha dismissed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Election Commission, saying: “Rahul Gandhi visited Bihar but had no impact. No one knows what he says or shows.”

Reacting to the meeting between HM Amit Shah and CM Nitish Kumar, Jha said: “When two big leaders like HM Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar meet, naturally discussions happen about the state and the country. Elections are near, so that was the main topic of the meeting.”

On seat-sharing within the NDA, Jha said: “It was too early to comment.”

Taking an aim at Tejashwi Yadav’s Bihar Adhikar Yatra, he said: “Tejashwi has already done a Yatra with Rahul Gandhi and is now doing another. But the people of Bihar know what RJD’s rule means—it is part of the state’s history. Nitish Kumar’s influence is most visible in this election.”

Bihar Rural Work Minister Ashok Choudhary also hit out at Rahul Gandhi, saying: “The issue of the Election Commission is already in the Supreme Court. Rahul Gandhi keeps repeating that the Constitution is in danger and reservations will end. He said the same thing before. This is just to spread confusion. Since 1977, Congress has been in decline—they need to introspect.”

On Tejashwi Yadav’s slogan ‘Bring a degree, get a job’, Choudhary said: “During RJD’s rule, shepherd schools were set up in Bihar. Their leader had such an intellect that he thought this would advance the youth. But Nitish Kumar opened engineering and medical colleges, which created long queues of aspiring students. Under RJD, intellectuals fled Bihar. Now Tejashwi flies in a helicopter to meet the families of people killed by criminals who were themselves RJD men. What kind of Bihar does he want to build?”

With top leaders stepping up their campaigns and HM Amit Shah’s visit coinciding with Nitish Kumar’s strategy meeting, it is clear that election activity in Bihar has intensified as alliances prepare for a high-stakes contest.

–IANS

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