NDA Will Fight Polls Under Nitish Leadership

During 21st edition of Delhi Dialogue, JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha says Bihar has made remarkable progress in law order, women empowerment

- 

SANJAY Kumar Jha, working national president of JD(U) and Rajya Sabha MP, is considered one of the key architects of Nitish Kumar's return to the NDA fold.

The JNU alumnus was a three-time minister in Bihar and led the state's efforts to tackle the recurring flood and worked to enhance agricultural productivity.

He says Bihar has made tremendous progress in various aspects under the leadership of Nitish Kumar and that the state's rural roads are in much better shape than Delhi's. "Things have changed significantly. From a state of complete disorder, Nitish Kumar steered Bihar towards development, and those who visit the state today can witness the transformation. Roads, law and order, power supply, and many other aspects have improved greatly," says Jha.

The JD(U) parliamentary party leader in the RS seeks to remind the days before 2005. "We must remember what Bihar was until 2005. What were the conditions of roads, power, and law and order then? It is important to remember the legacy Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inherited from the rule of his predecessors that lasted till 2005."

Jha says Bihar has performed remarkably well on women's empowerment. "Previously, less than 5% of women in Bihar were elected as mukhiyas (panchayat heads). Today, over 51% of mukhiyas are women. "It is a big thing because everyone has to go to the mukhiyas," he says. Nitish Kumar introduced the cycle scheme, which encouraged girls to attend school. Under the NDA government, he also advanced women's empowerment through the 'Jeevika' initiative. Bihar has the highest number of female police officers in the country. An agricultural roadmap has been implemented, and water has reached the homes of poor families. With a double-engine government in place, Bihar is now focused on attracting investment and expanding its industrial sector.