Rahul Gandhi questions secular credentials of Nitish Kumar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today questioned the secular credentials of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, saying he cannot claim the high ground after having partnered with leaders and organisations following "divisive" ideology.

"What is this? You have partnership (with BJP) and still afraid of a leader's visit," he told election rallies at Kodha and Sikti.

Gandhi was apparently referring to Kumar's opposition to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi campaigning in the state for the upcoming assembly elections.

The Amethi MP asked how could Nitish Kumar claim he has secular credentials when he had "partnership" with leaders and organisations following "divisive" ideology.

He said the Congress wanted to put an end to divisive politics in the state.

Accusing the JD(U)-BJP and RJD-LJP alliances of using religion and caste for political gains, he said, "We are opposed to such partnership. We want justice and development for all, the poor and the rich, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians."

Stating that the Congress was above that brand of politics, he said that is why the party chose to contest all the 243 assembly seats on its own in Bihar.

"We know that we will initially have difficulty. It will take time, but we will continue the struggle for the development of the state and for a government with greater participation of youths," Gandhi said.

He also alleged that the benefits of central schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme were not reaching those for whom they were intended in Bihar because of rampant corruption.

Stating that the Centre has provided assistance of around Rs one lakh crore to the state, Gandhi said, "It is unfortunate that benefits of schemes like MNREGA and Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) have failed to percolate to the poor and needy because of rampant corruption in their implementation.

"Congress governments have done a lot for development in states where the party was ruling compared to states ruled by the NDA."

There was large-scale migration of youths and skilled labourers looking for jobs from Bihar to Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi which could be halted if these schemes were implemented properly, he said.