LJP chief Chirag Paswan releases party's manifesto for Bihar polls

Patna: Kickstarting the LJP poll campaign following the demise of his father Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag Paswan released the party’s “Bihar First Bihari First” manifesto on Wednesday while keeping up his attack on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“Today, with the release of our party’s manifesto for the Bihar assembly polls, I put forward our vision of ‘Bihar 1st Bihari 1st’ which will resolve various problems that the people of Bihar have been facing,” Paswan said.

Building a web portal where job seekers and employers can connect directly, constituting a Youth Commission, separate toilets for women in all block headquarters, gram panchayat headquarters and markets, connecting all rivers by setting up canals to prevent floods and drought are among the main poll promises that found mention in the LJP manifesto.

#WATCH पटना: आगामी विधानसभा चुनाव के लिए लोक जनशक्ति पार्टी का घोषणापत्र जारी करने से पहले LJP के अध्यक्ष चिराग पासवान ने अपनी मां के पैर छूकर आर्शीवाद लिया। #BiharElections https://t.co/gBIegLhJuA pic.twitter.com/hKUHVGZXoX

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Setting up of food processing units and implementation of the “Denmark model” to boost the Bihar diary industry are some of the other key takeaways in the manifesto. The manifesto also seeks to promote spiritual tourism in Sitamarhi on the lines of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. Developing state-of-the-art medical and engineering institutions to prevent the youth from leaving the state also finds mention.

Paswan, who broke away from NDA citing ideological differences with JD(U), said if Nitish Kumar won the election by mistake, the state would be on the verge of getting ruined.

“If the current Chief Minister wins this election by mistake then our state will lose. Our state will again stand on the verge of getting ruined. I wonder how he promotes casteism. It is not appropriate to imagine the development of Bihar under the leadership of a person who promotes communalism,” Paswan said.

The LJP is contesting 143 seats in the state, with its candidates taking on JD(U) nominees in most constituencies. Even though he has repeatedly attacked JD(U),  Paswan has reiterated his admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ties with the National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.

Amid the political posturing, BJP has tried to control the damage over the wide impression that LJP is playing as its B team and has said that Nitish Kumar was the NDA’s CM choice, irrespective of which party wins more seats.

Elected to the post of national president of the LJP last year, the 2020 Bihar elections will be a litmus test for Chirag, laying the groundwork for both himself and the LJP’s future in the state.