Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary speaks to Organiser’s Senior Assistant Nishant Kumar Azad
about the NDA manifesto, the government’s record on development and law & order, and why he believes 2025 will mark the alliance’s most united campaign in decades
What issues NDA is taking to the people?
Only development. People must feel the difference between darkness and daylight. For Bihar, that dawn came in 2005; today, we are at midday and moving faster. Consider the change: a state that once had only 17 lakh electricity connections now has 2.14 crore. Roads that barely measured 10,000 km are now 1.5 lakh km. Basic services have reached villages, and good governance has normalised safety – even at midnight, women travel from villages to towns and returns safely. People stroll on Marine Drive past midnight. This is the new Bihar. To appreciate it, one must remember both the ‘jungle raj’ years and today’s governance outcomes.
Before the election, the NDA Government announced Rs 10,000 for Jeevika Didis and disbursed the first instalment. The Opposition countered by promising insurance of Rs 5 lakh and an extra allowance of Rs 2000 for Jeevika Didis. INDI Alliance is also offering Rs 2,500 per month to women under the “Mai Bahin Maan Yojana.” Women have been a core NDA votebank. How do you read this contest?
The people of Bihar know the difference between announcements and delivery. What Nitish ji committed to in 2005, and even earlier, he delivered. This government is defined by commitment and execution. When we promised, funds reached beneficiaries: Rs1.51 crore women received money directly; pensions reached 1.12 crore families; 125 units of power are subsidised at 100 per cent for 1.9 crore families. Now compare that with promises like 2.7 crore government jobs or Rs 2,500 per month to 1.6 crore women. Add those up, you’re talking about Rs 1 lakh crore. Bihar’s own budget is about Rs 37,000 crore; the Centre gives Rs 60,000 crore; the rest is loans. Is that feasible? People can do the math. They know Modi ji and Nitish ji deliver; others just talk.
But your manifesto also promises 1 crore jobs – government plus others. Where does that capacity come from?
We announced this two months ago; it’s now formalised in the manifesto. Look at the record: in Lalu Prasad’s 15 years, only 94,000 got government jobs. In Nitish ji’s 20 years, 18 lakh were created, and in the last five years, Bihar gave the most government jobs nationally. Earlier, we promised 20 lakh (10 lakh government + 10 lakh private) and ended up creating 52 lakh jobs and employment opportunities. That success breeds confidence. Now we’ve pledged 1 crore, and I am telling you, we will exceed it. Of course, not all will be government jobs. We are thinking big – from needle factories to aircraft manufacturing, defence corridors, semiconductor ecosystems, thermal and atomic power.
The Opposition promises to repeal the Waqf Amendment Act if they form the government. Your response?
India’s federal system is clear about Centre-State roles. Our opponents did nothing for poor Muslims during their years in power. Nitish ji and Modi ji have delivered pucca houses to all, electricity subsidies, and pensions to the elderly, widows, and the disabled, without discrimination.
How is 2025 different from 2020, and how will the NDA perform?
This time, we aim to replicate our 2010 performance. The NDA is united – Chirag Paswan, Upendra Kushwaha, everyone is with us. From top to bottom, we speak with one voice. The Opposition remains divided.
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