- BJP chief JP Nadda has expressed full confidence that the NDA will win the Bihar assembly election
- Nadda has also dismissed Rahul Gandhi's claim that Nitish Kumar will be dropped as the chief minister
- Nadda has defended women empowerment schemes, rejecting the Opposition's bribery allegations
BJP chief JP Nadda was out in full strength in Bihar, as the campaign for the Phase 1 of assembly election in the state - where the party is hoping to retain power for another term -- drew to a close. Mr Nadda was at his confident best in GAya, telling NDTV's Padmaja Joshi in an exclusive interview that the party is winning the constituency. "We will win the rest of Bihar also and form the government under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. I find a clear-cut wave in favour of the NDA," he added.
As for the Opposition Grand Alliance, it was a "thugbandhan, not gathbandhan," he said, pointing to the "jungle Raj" tag that the Rashtriya Janata Dal rule had acquired during the regime of Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi more than 20 years ago.
Asked about Rahul Gandhi's comment that the BJP will drop Nitish Kumar from the Chief Minister post and pick someone else - much "like someone changing television channels" -- Nadda said the Congress leader is angry.
"He is not able to understand. He is not able to win seats... That is why he is talking about this type of thing," he said.
Asked about the opposition allegation that the schemes announced for women are "authorised bribery", Nadda said the Opposition has lost its "mental balance".
"They do not know the difference between empowerment and freebies," he said, explaining that the new scheme will top the loan offered to Jivika Didis -- women associated with a rural project of the UN -- and help them stand on their feet.
"We are trying to bring women into mainstream, not offer them freebies," he added.
The first of the two-phase election in Bihar will be held on November 6. The next one is on November 11. The counting of votes will take place on November 14.
