Nitish Kumar backs Kanhaiya on freedom from poverty, intolerance

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today expressed his support to JNU Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar's assertions of freedom from poverty and intolerance, saying the "talented" youth leader was more nationalist than those levelling sedition charge against him.

"The speech given by Kanhaiya Kumar in JNU after his release from jail is very effective... Whatever he said is true. Kanhaiya Kumar said we do not talk of freedom from India but freedom in India and demanded independence in this regard," Nitish told reporters at Patna Airport on his return from Nepal.

"Kanhaiya Kumar put forth his views for freedom from hunger, poverty and intolerance," he said and hailed the JNUSU President for putting his views effectively.

"These prove that our new generation has a lot of capability. The coming forward of such a talented student and youth will strengthen the roots of democracy in the country," he said.

The Bihar Chief Minister hailed CPI for launching a campaign in favour of JNUSU President and said, "Kanhaiya Kumar is more nationalist than those levelling sedition charge on him. I extend my good wishes to JNUSU President."

In a veiled dig at Narendra Modi government, Kumar said "They think they can silence people on the basis of their brand of thinking and divide people as well the society."

"By raising emotional issues like 'Love Jihad', 'Ghar Wapsi', beef eating and now sedition, they wish to divide the society, but they will not succeed," he said.

Backing the "ideologically alert" JNU students who had put across their views with clarity, he said, "This is not appreciated by them. They want to impose their views on everybody and those who differ with them are branded anti-national."

Nitish came down heavily on the BJP-led NDA government for not fullfilling the promises made before 2014 polls.

"They had promised to bring back black money but now have brought an amnesty scheme to convert black money into white... After presentation of general budget 'acchhe din' (good days) of common people did not come, but it has come for those having black money," Kumar said.

Farmers and youths have also been let down by the general budget, he added.