Elders are humiliated in BJP's new avatar: Nitish Kumar

JEHANABAD: BJP has been reborn in a new avatar in which elders are humiliated, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said today and attacked Narendra Modi alleging that corporate houses were investing in him.

Referring to BJP veterans like L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Jaswant Singh, Lal Muni Choubey and Chandra Mohan Rai, Kumar said "BJP has been reborn. There is no respect for elders in the new avatar of BJP."

"They used to shout 'BJP ke teen dharohar' (BJP's legacy), Atal, Advani aur Murli Manohar. Than what happened to the last of the three 'darohars'?" he told an election meeting here.

"Jaswant Singh who along with George Fernandes had drafted the common minimum programme of NDA and served as external affairs and finance minister were deprived of ticket from their home constituencies in Rajasthan," he said.

Kumar asked about the funding for rallies of BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and alleged that corporate houses were investing in him and would seek a return with interest if he managed to capture power.

Kumar, the star campaigner for his party JD(U), ridiculed the Gujarat model of development propagated by BJP.

"There were 81 per cent tribals dependent on agriculture in Gujarat, but under his (Modi) rule which is lauded for bringing large scale industrialisation this has today gone up to 85 per cent," he claimed.

"Out of 2 lakh people engaged in cultivation of cotton in Gujarat almost one-third of them are children below the age of 14 year," he said.

"While in Bihar we have launched the cycle scheme to bring children below 14 year back to school, a large number of them are pushed into cotton cultivation in Gujarat," he said.

He said only deriding the Congress would not help and Modi needed to tell the nation his plans for generating employment in the country.

Taking an apparent dig at his bete noire Lalu Prasad and LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan, he said "While some are busy ensuring the victory of their daughter, son and other family members, I have no such personal agenda."