‘Silent Nitish’, ‘26-sec presser’: NDA Bihar manifesto launch raises Congress's eyebrows

AS the subject popular confederation (NDA) released its pronunciamento for the upcoming Bihar assemblage election, senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot asked why chief minister Nitish Kumar did not speak about it and why the briefing was only "26-second-long".The NDA manifesto was released in the presence of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, his deputy Samrat Chaudhary, BJP national president JP Nadda, and Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Chirag Paswan, among other leaders of the alliance. Follow latest news on Bihar assembly electionAddressing a press conference in Patna, Congress observer for Bihar polls, Ashok Gehlot said, "JP Nadda, CM Nitish Kumar and other leaders came for just 26 seconds. Media people told me that this is the first time they have seen a 26-second press conference... They got scared and ran away."Noting that the release of a manifesto is an important event in the elections, Gehlot termed the NDA's presser as a "dangerous sign for democracy".ALSO READ | From govt jobs to Waqf law on hold: What INDIA bloc has promised in Bihar manifesto"Why are you so afraid of the media and questions?" he asked, and said that "they (NDA) do not believe in democracy". The Congress leader advised that the NDA should have begun their presser with a "report card of their 20-year rule". Gehlot also wondered why it was deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary who spoke about the manifesto, and not CM Nitish Kumar."Was he (Nitish Kumar) not in a position to speak about it?" he asked. Gehlot described the NDA's manifesto as a "string of lies".Gehlot said that Chaudhary merely read out the manifesto, and added that it implies that the NDA does "not believe" in their manifesto. "They just carried out a routine procedure of releasing a manifesto. This shows they have no commitment to the manifesto. If they were committed, they would have all sat together and explained it," he told news agency ANI.ALSO READ | ‘Nitish Kumar not coming back': Tejashwi Yadav's big claim ahead of Bihar battleCongress MP Akhilesh Prasad Yadav, who was present at the press conference with Ashok Gehlot, claimed that Nitish Kumar not being allowed to speak on the manifesto was a disrespect to Bihar and Biharis.Later, Gehlot said in a sarcastic tone, "They have created history today. Nitish Kumar and JP Nadda were here and left within 26 seconds."Bihar is set to witness a high-stakes electoral battle between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) on November 6 and 11, with the results scheduled to be declared by the Election Commission of India on November 14.ALSO READ | 'All allies are..': What Tejashwi Yadav told HT on INDIA bloc's ‘friendly fight’ in Bihar electionThe National Democratic Alliance comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustan Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.Of the 243 seats in the Bihar assembly, the BJP and JD(U) are contesting on 101 seats each, while Chirag Paswan's LJP(RV) is fighting on 29 seats. Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM(S) and Upendra Kushwaha's RLM are contesting six seats each.NDA Bihar ManifestoFrom job promise to legal guarantee for the MSP for farmers, NDA laid out several ambitious promises for the 2025 Bihar assembly election.The NDA has promised more than one crore government jobs, a "mega skills centre" in every district for youth upskilling, financial support of up to ₹2 lakh for women, creation of one crore "Lakhpati Didis", a dedicated committee to prepare welfare schemes for the extremely backward classes, and a legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP) for farmers among other things.