New Delhi [India], September 30 (ANI): Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh on Wednesday hit back at Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's remarks on former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying that the Janata Dal United (JDU) leader "does not need Sonia Gandhi's certificate" and that his work over the past 20 years speaks for itself.
He added that he was informed that during an INDIA bloc meeting, Sonia Gandhi had allegedly called Nitish Kumar a “traitor” and said that it was good that he had left the party.
Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "We do not wish to react to the remark Sonia Gandhi made about Nitish Kumar because Nitish Kumar does not need Sonia Gandhi's certificate... Nitish Kumar has served the people of Bihar for 20 years on the strength of his work and has transformed the picture of Bihar. Today, he is discussed not only across the entire country but also in the world..."
On the issue of caste-based census, the Union Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced and initiated the exercise in the country.
"Regarding Nitish Kumar's demand that a caste-based census should be conducted in the country, Prime Minister Modi has announced and started the caste-based census," Singh said.
Taking a swipe at the INDIA bloc, Singh said that when Nitish Kumar was part of the alliance for a brief period, he had demanded that a proposal for a caste-based census should be passed.
"When Nitish Kumar was in the INDI Alliance for a few days, he had said in it that the INDI Alliance should pass a proposal for a caste-based census, but on Mamata Banerjee's insistence, Sonia Gandhi said that there is no need for this," Singh claimed.
Singh's remarks came following an INDIA bloc's three-and-a-half-hour coordination meeting in New Delhi, where leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc—including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee—announced a joint campaign alleging the erosion of democracy and electoral manipulation.
Opposition leaders accused the government of undermining democratic norms and compromising key institutions, particularly targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged EVM tampering and "vote theft."
TMC chief Mamata Banerjee also demanded the immediate resignations of both CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Rahul Gandhi pledged that those responsible for damaging Indian democracy would face accountability.
Targeting the Congress over its criticism of the Election Commission, Sarogi said, "When the Election Commission doesn't make decisions to Congress's liking, Congress raises questions about constitutional institutions and their officials, just like it's raising questions about Gyanesh Kumar..."
The INDIA bloc held a meeting in the national capital on Wednesday. The parties that participated in the meeting included Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), Shiv Sena (UBT), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), CPI(M), CPI, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), CPI-ML, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Kerala Congress (M), MDMK, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Kerala Congress (Jacob), and All India Forward Bloc (AIFB).
The INDIA bloc offensive would begin on the second day of October. Across the country, local cadres and party workers were instructed to gather outside District Magistrate offices, turning local administration centres into ground zero for a week-long "Save Democracy" protest. For seven days, the opposition aimed to ensure that their grievances echoed not just in the capital, but in every district across the nation. (ANI)
"Nitish Kumar doesn't need Sonia Gandhi's certificate; his work speaks": Union Minister Lalan Singh
