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Updated: Jul 01, 2020 02:04 IST

Senior BJP leader and Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi has scotched speculations of replacing Nitish Kumar as the head of the NDA in Bihar since changing a “winning captain” was not in the team’s interest. Sushil Modi was speaking at Hindustan Purvoday event in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi on Wednesday.

Modi said the alliance was doing excellent work in Bihar and the need for changing the captain did not arise since the team NDA was winning and not losing in Bihar.

“The captain who is leading the team to victory and is hitting boundaries shouldn’t be changed. The opposition’s morale has been destroyed by the fours-and-sixes-hitting captain. Replacement is sought when one is losing, not when the alliance is delivering well. Please ignore the statement of Sanjay Paswan, Nitish Kumar is the leader of the NDA in Bihar,” Modi said at the summit.

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BJP MLC Sanjay Paswan’s recent statement that Nitish Kumar “should now focus on central politics as people support PM Narendra Modi’s decisions and vote for him and not for Nitish model,” was not received well by the JD(U).

Sushil Modi, however, made it clear that the alliance with the JD(U) was only limited to Bihar and the two parties were free to contest each other elsewhere including in Jharkhand, where assembly polls are due this year. He said equations in other states will not impact BJP-JD(U) ties in Bihar.

When asked if Jharkhand should follow in Bihar’s footsteps and ban sale and consumption of liquor, he said only the state government could take a decision on the matter based on its realities.

“Jharkhand’s government will decide that (if prohibition is required) like every other state government. Bihar never had a culture of consuming alcohol as against some other states where father and son drink together. Alcohol is served to visitors in several places but in Bihar you can’t enter the house drunk,” Sushil Modi said.

Sushil Modi said implementing prohibition was a brave decision by Nitish Kumar government and that it had helped Bihar by bringing down crime including those against women and incidents of domestic violence. He, however, acknowledged that liquor continued to be traded illegally in the state. “The ban was only inconveniencing the rich in the state,” he added.

Sushil Modi said that he had received feedback that BJP will be able to meet its target of winning 65 out of 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand when polls are held later this year.

On the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, he said the BJP government at the Centre was reminding people that Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and China controlled Aksai Chin were part of India. He said India will regain control over these occupied territories in due course of time that he could not specify at this stage.