Yet he with the leader of the BJP in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley and Bihar BJP chief C P Thakur went to address the media. Incidentally, not present on the occasion was the deputy chief minister, Sushil Kumar Modi, whose relationship with C P Thakur is a known fact.

The importance of timing was very much there. A day earlier Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave a speech. It may have lacked the oratory skill but was laced with data, facts and figures. It is also true that the general mass hold Manmohan Singh in a different way. They know that he may not be a good politician, but still believe that whatever he says is not baseless. 

Manmohan’s visit was preceded by that of Rahul Gandhi. Two days later Sonia Gandhi too visited the north-east districts of Bihar. All of them attacked the state government where it hurts it most. Manmohan Singh’s image is very much unlike that of the NDA’s other rivals in Bihar. His charge that the Nitish government is wrongly projecting the central schemes as state schemes knocked the very bottom of the NDA’s claim of development. He, Rahul and Sonia repeatedly said that schemes like National Rural Health Misssion, Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana, NREGA etc are all central schemes for which the state government is taking credit. In fact the Prime Minister too went out to attack the failure of the state government on NREGA. Sonia raised the issue of the unspent central fund, running into crores, for the seven minority concentrated districts of Bihar.

The accusation that the state government had failed to rehabilitate the Kosi flood victims even two years after the Centre sent Rs 3,800 crores hit the state government hard. 

Since Congress is very much in contest in the first-phase of election on October 21 it was essential for the NDA to hit back with its own argument immediately. So it deemed it fit to call a Press conference in between the visit of Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi. 

Besides, it is for the first time that the Congress has really launched its broadside against the state government with all the statistics. The attack by RJD and LJP lacks such firepower. Nitish was bound to respond to it. 

It is also true that the Congress in Bihar has no leader to match the stature of Nitish Kumar or even Lalu Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan, and it would not be able to cash in on the way it should have. Yet the NDA leaders are aware that it is only the Congress––as it is in power in the Centre––which can expose its shortcomings. 

Sunday’s Press conference was interesting in the other way too. The NDA spent more time in countering Congress rather than the main opposition RJD-LJP alliance. Herein lies the importance of the media conference.

Comment

comments...

I didn't really find any "facts and figures" in the speech of Mr. Manmohan in any of the news materials. Can you please share these "facts and figures" with us. I rather found him making statements like Center gave 1000 crores especially for Bihar (which Nitish later refuted by saying it was arranged by the previous NDA govt.) etc. I'd like to see facts and figures that are something similar to "50,000 criminals convicted", "265% increase in Income Tax collection", "11% GDP Growth", "Highest growth in India for Mobile sector", "Highest growth in India for Tourism sector", "Fastest growth in Cement market", highest growth in Automobile market, "World Bank positioning Patna as the best city to start a business in India", "boost in tourists flocking to Bihar from 61000 to 3.46 lakhs" to name a few.

I don't contest the fact that there are problems with this government, but much bigger blockades are being created by Center to avert the growth of Bihar. Time and again this becomes evident.. when Rahul had said that the Center will open the gates of treasury for Bihar " if " Congress came to power, when the Center refuses to build power plants despite knowing that this state has severe power crunch, when the Center refuses to pay back the amount the State govt. spent on maintaining the National Highways (which was supposed to be maintained by the Center in the first place).. and so on.

Mr. Manmohan sure is considered one of the cleanest politicians. But by making such baseless allegations he's denting his own image. He's become a subject of ridicule at almost all of news sites where reports similar to this one have appeared. Just check out their comments.

Abhimanyu Singh
Hyderabad

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Lies of Manmohan Singh and company had to be nailed early so job well done by NDA.
Fact is Bihar gets 1/10th of federal fund in comparison to J/K despite being ten times the size of J/K.. Talking about acceptability of Manmohan Singh. This is same Manmohans singh who snoozes while his cabinet minster liek A Raja embezzles tax payers money to the tune of 1 lakh crore and then we have latest flavour of 70000 crore embezzled in CWG. Days of clean Manmohan SIngh is long gone people know what Manmohan singh stands for is the large scale loot in federal govt.
Talking about aids to BIha is not this same Manmohans Singh who demanded return of flodd relief money after election.
Last but not the least whatever money come from centre is Bihar's right. U tax Bihar's people u allocate fund days of Raja /rani deigning to throw some crumbs is long gone.
Congress will be lucky to corss 20 seats and pain of Nehru family chieftain is reflected in the way they are shouting..

anil kanhaiya