HT interview: Nitish Kumar will remain Bihar CM after polls... no confusion in alliance, says BJP's Samrat Choudhary

BIhar surrogate chief government government minister Samrat Choudhary categorically maintains that Nitish Kumar testament remain chief minister if the NDA returns to force after the upcoming assembly polls. The BJP leader, who is in the poll fray after a long gap from Tarapur seat in Munger district, speaks on a range of poll-related issues in an interview to Vijay Swaroop. Edited excerpts:When will the NDA release its manifesto?This will be before November 4. We are in talks with our alliance partners. And it will be released once all things have been discussed and approved by all our allies. We have also been talking to our allies to coordinate on our blueprint for the next five years. We have to work more for empowerment of youth and women, and to get investment, among other things.The Opposition alliance has been attacking the NDA on the name of CM. Why is it so that the BJP and its allies are not openly announcing the name instead of saying the NDA is contesting polls under Nitish Kumar?We are very clear on this issue. There is no vacancy for CM post in Bihar and the NDA. Nitish Kumar is the Bihar CM and he will be the Bihar CM in future as well. Let me clarify that in 2000 and 2020, Nitish Kumar had himself refused to become the CM but even then the BJP offered him the CM post. There is no confusion in the alliance over the name of Nitish Kumar... There is no need to talk on this regularly.The NDA has made several announcements and so has the Mahaghatbandhan. What do you think, whose promises/announcements have more weight to lure the voters?The NDA has so far not made any announcements. The promises and vision will come in the manifesto. We have implemented the decisions. We transferred money in the accounts of 1.41 crore (14.1 million) women; 1.12 crore (11.2 million) old aged, senior citizens and disabled persons, provided free electricity up to 125 units to 1.90 crore (19 million) consumers.The NDA government does not believe in announcements. We believe in delivering. Bihar vikas, vikas aur vikas par hi chalega (Bihar will run only on development, development and development). Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar believe in delivering. Modiji never asked the religion of one crore family while giving pucca houses; he never asked anyone’s caste while giving foodgrains. If only these people vote, we will get more than 200 seats.We are very clear that people will elect only those who have delivered and believe in development rather than those who looted the state for 15 years.What is the alliance’s plan for the young voters especially in the face of Tejashwi Yadav’s announcement to provide one government job to each family?We don’t need to counter that. People of the state are laughing. There are 2.70 crore (27 million) families in the state. Bihar at present has 22 lakh (2.2 million) government jobs which requires ₹85,000 crore to pay salary. To give a salary to 2.7 crore, one needs ₹12 lakh crore.His father, Lalu Prasad, provided government jobs to only 94,000 people during his rule whereas Nitish Kumar in his four terms, provided jobs to 18.5 lakh (1.85 million) people. We have also announced that we will provide jobs and employment to one crore people in the next five years.In the 2020 polls, our votes were fragmented with Chirag Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha not being part of NDA. This time, they are with us. What he (Tejashwi) has promised is not at all feasible.How long will the ‘jungle raj’ narrative continue to bring the NDA to power?Had Lalu Prasad-Congress misgovernance not been there, this narrative would not have been there. The man who is considered a villain by his own party, who created a state of lawlessness, we will have to compare with that. He is the biggest leader of GA even Congress bows before him.You would be contesting polls after a long gap. How much effort is required on a seat which till last elections was with the JD (U)When the entire Lalu family had lost, I kept on contesting and winning. The people will decide in democracy and people will give their blessings to me.Why has the BJP not been able to groom a CM candidate from its own party. Do you see yourself as a probable CM candidate?I am a party karyakarta (worker). Even Laluji was made the CM by the BJP but he changed. Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee picked Nitish Kumar as the CM candidate. He worked for development and is our leader today.Why did the BJP not repose faith in Muslims?There are so many parameters on which candidates are decided. The panel decides on winnable candidates.