Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that those who claim themselves disciples of Jayaprakash Narayan have sacrificed his socialist ideology, in an apparent dig at the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar.
Shah made the statement while addressing a rally here at the birthplace of Narayan, popularly known as JP, in Bihar's Saran district after unveiling a 15-feet high statue of the socialist icon.
Shah said, "The biggest contribution of Jayprakash Narayan was when he started a massive agitation against corruption and against a government drunk in power that imposed Emergency in the 70s. In 1973, under Indira ji's leadership, Gujarat had a Congress government with Chiman Patel as CM. Indira ji publicly gave task of collecting money to govts, corruption started. Students in Gujarat protested, and this agitation was led by Jayprakash Narayan. It changed the government in Gujarat."
"He then started a movement in Bihar. Seeing this movement, the rally at Gandhi Maidan in Bihar, Indira Gandhi was perturbed. The Prime Minister of the nation was forced to impose Emergency in the country and put Jayprakash Narayan in jail."
"I'd like to ask the people of Bihar today, leaders who achieved heights through the JP movement, by taking his name, are sitting in the lap of Congress today just for the sake of power—are you with them? Is this the politics of the principles of Jayprakash Narayan?" HM says it in Sitab Diara.
The Union Minister continued, "This is not the path shown by him (Jayprakash Narayan). He never did anything for power and worked for principles all his life. Today, people who switch sides five times for power are the CM of Bihar."
"He is power hungry, and for power, he sacrificed JP's ideologies and joined hands with the Congress. He has nothing to do with the ideologies of JP," Shah said, in an apparent reference to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who dumped the BJP to form a new seven-party coalition government.
"Only Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working for the poor and the weaker sections of society, for whom JP was concerned," Shah said in his brief speech.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was also present at the programme to mark the 120th birth anniversary of the veteran leader.
