On Patna visit, Nadda extends Chhath greetings, Tejashwi hits back
Patna: Union minister JP Nadda on Thursday extended his greetings on the occasion of Chhath, the most popular fester of Bihar which has grown famous far and wide.
Nadda, who is also the BJP national president, had flown down to the Bihar capital where he took part in celebrations of Chhath held at the residences of many senior party leaders.
Talking to reporters, Nadda, who has fond memories of his childhood spent in the city, said, “I extend warm greetings to all the people in Bihar, Purvanchal (eastern UP) and other parts of the country on the auspicious occasion of Chhath. May Chhathi Maiya bestow her blessings upon all of us.” Earlier, Nadda had enjoyed a steamer ride with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar along the banks of the Ganges where lakhs of Chhath “vratees” (devotees) responded with roars of “Chhathi Maiya Ki Jai” when the dignitaries waved at them.
The state, where politics never takes a backseat, will go to assembly polls next year and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who has been licking his wounds since Nitish Kumar’s abrupt return to BJP-led NDA robbed him of the Deputy CM’s post, latched on the opportunity to take a swipe at Nadda.
“It’s fine that he (Nadda) has come. But he seems to be just enjoying himself. As a person in the ruling dispensation, he should have brought something tangible. Maybe, the promise of special status,” said the young leader, who revealed that he will be hitting the campaign trail from Friday for bypolls to four assembly seats which are being seen as a semi-final ahead of the all-important elections of 2025.
Nadda also visited the house of his cabinet colleague Chirag Paswan, who celebrated the festival at his Patna residence.
Talking to PTI video, Paswan said, “I remember the days when papa (Late Ram Vilas Paswan) used to be around. Chhathi Maiya has blessed us a lot. May she help us achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s target of making India a developed country by 2047.”
The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) was also confident of NDA’s victory in the bypolls as well as assembly elections in neighbouring Jharkhand.
“There seems to be great anger against the INDIA bloc on account of Hemant Soren’s misrule. People feel they committed a mistake by voting out the NDA last time and they are determined to bring back a regime that worked as per the PM’s vision,” claimed Paswan.
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