After the ambassadors of the European countries hosted a lunch for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, they invited Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday during which the senior JD(U) leader is said to have showcased his secular credentials.
Later in the evening, while delivering a lecture, Mr Kumar, while calling Muzaffarnagar and Gujarat riots a blot to the nation, stated that the attempt to foment communal passion would be defeated.
Apparently positioning himself as an anti-Modi leader after the projection of the Gujarat CM as the prime ministerial candidate by the BJP, Mr Kumar said: “While some think that they can move forward by running down some communities, such attempts will not succeed in India. The government should not only have trust of all communities but it should be other way round also.”
Reflecting on the Muzaffarnagar riots, Mr Kumar said that the states should maintain “constant vigilance” and must act immediately to any attempt to disrupt communal peace.
In a veiled attack on Mr Modi, Bihar chief minister also said that the growth should not only mean setting up a few industrial units but all-round well-being of all communities. Mr Kumar said that ambassadors of EU countries asked him about the communal situations in the country and his views on the issue. “They asked,” he said, “what you would have done had you been in-charge of the state,” while referring to Muzaffarnagar riots. “My response was that we should have constant vigil and prompt action,” said Mr Kumar.
Meanwhile, Mr Kumar met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the day and sought `12,000 crore in Central help to tackle drought situation in the state.
Bihar has declared 33 districts out of 38 as drought-affected in the state. He added that monsoon had been 37 per cent deficient in the state. A Central team is expected to visit the state in October to assess the situation.