Bihar's next CM will be from backward community, says Giriraj Singh

Giriraj Singh, 63, MoS, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

PAST RECORD: Hindutva hardliner known for making controversial remarks like on Sonia Gandhi’s skin colour and suggesting that opponents of Modi should go to Pakistan

KEY ROLE: Useful in countering Lalu’s rhetoric


On the Nitish-Lalu combination

We never thought that Nitishji would stoop to this level. There was a time he talked about development in the state cabinet meetings (Singh was a minister in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet when JD(U)-BJP were allies).

As soon as he allied with Laluji, he lost credibility. Today, Laluji is running their coalition. Nitish is now Lalu’s kathputli (puppet). Our fight is with Lalu, not with Nitish. Tell me, will anyone from the civilised world say in public that this election is a battle between the forward castes and the backward castes (Lalu Prasad said it in a rally recently)? That alliance is more a nautanki company.

On Modi ministers being stationed in Bihar for months

It’s a practical move. See, under Narendra Modi’s leadership every department is doing its work well. We need to awaken Bihar.

Bihar is my motherland. I am working here. Why should our Opposition feel jealous about it? I am often travelling to Delhi to finish my pending work in the ministry.

On BJP’s possible CM candidates

I am saying it frankly that the BJP will choose its next chief minister from the backward community. He will either be a Yadav or someone from the extremely backward caste. This is my stand, not the stand of our party. After all, the people from the backward castes want a major share in the next government. If I am asked, I will propose a Yadav as the CM candidate and someone from the extremely backward caste as deputy chief minister.

This is not the Bihar of 1990s. This is the Bihar of 2015. Now, the leadership of Bihar is with Nand Kishore Yadav, Ram Kripal Yadav and Prem Kumar. Now, none of Lalu Prasad’s caste tricks will work.