Just two days after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a poll promise of free electricity in the state, Uttar Pradesh Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma took a sarcastic jibe at the promised move and said, “Na Bijli aayegi, na bill aayega (There will be no electricity, no bill)”.
On Thursday, Nitish Kumar said that 125 units of electricity would be provided free to all households in the state from August 1. The move, coming months ahead of crucial Assembly elections, is aimed at benefiting 1.67 crore families in the state.
“Electricity will be free in Bihar, but that will only be possible if there is power supply. If there is no power supply in the state, it will be free anyways. There will be no electricity, no power bills,” Sharma, Uttar Pradesh’s Energy and Urban Development Minister, said while speaking to the media.
The reaction from a senior BJP leader like Arvind Kumar Sharma is likely to stir the political pot in Bihar as his party is currently running a coalition government with the Janata Dal United (JDU) under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.
Both the JDU and the BJP are also allies in the Centre, with Nitish Kumar’s party providing crucial support to the saffron party.
The JDU-BJP combine, along with the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Paswan), are also set to take on the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan in the upcoming Bihar elections.
But the UP minister’s sarcastic dig at the ‘free electricity promise’ has provided much-needed ammunition for the Opposition.
Hours after AK Sharma made the remarks, the Congress seized the opportunity to target the NDA with a social media post.
The grand old party shared a post featuring first the portion of Nitish Kumar’s speech where he spoke of the free electricity scam, followed by Sharma’s remarks mocking the poll promise. “Ye to khela ho gaya (The beans are spilt)”, the Congress captioned the post.
Incumbent Nitish Kumar is eyeing a 10th term as Bihar Chief Minister with a decisive victory in the upcoming state polls. The NDA will contest the polls under his leadership, but will face a stiff challenge from the RJD, Congress and Left alliance.
Also, poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has thrown his hat in the ring with his Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) fighting for all 243 seats.
Bihar Assembly elections are likely to be held in October or November this year.
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