By-poll loss is not defeat of JD-U: Nitish Kumar

Patna, June 6 (IANS) Losing the Maharajganj Lok Sabha by-election was not a JD-U defeat as the RJD had won the seat in 2009 and had now just retained it, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said Thursday, a day after the results of Sunday's polling were announced.

"It is not at all a defeat of the JD-U (Janata Dal-United) because it was an RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) seat and it retained it," Nitish Kumar, who arrived here from New Delhi where he attended the chief ministers' conference, told reporters.

The RJD, he said, had won the seat in 2009. "What is new in it? The RJD has again won it. It was not a JD-U seat," he said.

He also downplayed reports that the result was also a personal defeat.

"After victory, the RJD has a habit of boasting. We never do such a thing after victory. The JD-U had been winning in election after election." He also ruled out any impact of the by-election result on the alliance between the JD-U and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

On Wednesday, JD-U candidate P.K. Shahi, who is also state education minister, said local BJP workers were responsible for his defeat as they did not cooperate with him.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad was quick to react to Nitish Kumar's comments. "What should we do after a big win if not boast?" He said the ruling JD-U had been defeated by the people.

RJD nominee Prabhunath Singh defeated his nearest rival Shahi by a margin of over 1.37 lakh votes, one of the highest winning margins in by-polls in the state in the last decade.

There is an old saying that one can awaken a sleeping man but one cannot awaken a man who is awake.

To solve a problem, you must first recognize that there is a problem.

If you do not accept that there is a problem, that problem will never go away.

The CPM in West Bengal were wiped out by the TMC due to its arrogance and misrule.

It is not that the TMC has given us any better rule, in fact, probably it is worse than the CPM.

However, the CPM may come to power in West Bengal not because the people have forgiven them but because Mamata has proved to be worse than them.

Similarly, Nitish should realize that the people of Bihar has voted for the coalition of the JD(U) and BJP.

Nitish has started thinking that he can do without the BJP and has been derogatory of Narendra Modi, the tallest in the BJP, at present.

The people of Bihar will not forgive him and both the JD(U) and BJP will be wiped out.

The Parliamentary election result in Maharajganj is just a trailor of things to come unless Nitish mends his ways.