Patna, Aug 31 (IANS): JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar criticised Ashok Choudhary, a cabinet minister of the Bihar government, over his casteist remarks, on Saturday.

Neeraj Kumar stated that such comments are unacceptable and that Ashok Choudhary should refrain from making statements that single out specific castes.

“Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has never mentioned a particular caste throughout his long political career, which has spanned over 18 years as Chief Minister and includes a term as a Union Minister. Nitish Kumar's sustained success is a result of his work and the support he has garnered from the people due to his performance, not by appealing to caste-based sentiments,” Kumar said.

Neeraj Kumar condemned Ashok Choudhary for making comments that could be seen as divisive, specifically mentioning certain caste groups for not voting.

He said that people sometimes vote and sometimes not. It depends on the political situation at the time. He cited the example of Nitish Kumar choosing to contest from Barh in the past Lok Sabha elections instead of Nalanda, due to the support he had from workers across all sections and castes in Barh.

Neeraj Kumar further highlighted the success of JD(U) in previous elections, pointing out the party's high strike rate.

“If anyone analyses JD-U's performance, they would see that the majority of their candidates won in districts like Madhepura, Saharsa, and Supaul. These districts are known for having a dominant Yadav population, yet JD(U) has consistently won there, demonstrating the party's broad appeal across different caste groups,” he said.

At a public meeting in Bihar's Jahanabad district, Ashok Choudhary claimed that the Bhumihar caste did not vote for JD(U) candidate Chandeshwar Prasad Chandravanshi, leading to his defeat in the Lok Sabha election. Choudhary, a Dalit leader within JD(U), was the in-charge of the Katihar Lok Sabha constituency during the last election.

Kumar also took a dig at Choudhary for the defeat of JD(U) candidate Dulal Chandra Goswami in Katihar.

“Why did the JD(U) candidate lose despite him being in charge of Katihar? Can he explain the party's lower performance there? For JD(U), people from all sections of Bihar are part of our extended family. Our leader Nitish Kumar has never differentiated people based on caste,” he added.