New Delhi, August 10: A group of foreign reporters say that at their meeting with Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), said that in public perception of effective governance, Bihar is ahead of Gujarat.
"RSS' Mohan Bhagwat's first-ever chat with foreign media. Asked to rate state govts on good governance, he said bihar, gujarat, in that order," tweeted Rama Lakshmi, a journalist with the Washington Post's New Delhi bureau.
The RSS has said Mr Bhagwat has not been quoted correctly. It says that the RSS chief said that the people of each state feel that the model followed by their government is superior.
The controversy lies in the complex and tenuous relationship between the BJP and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. They govern Bihar together, and Mr Kumar's party, the JD(U) is also a member of the NDA, the coalition led by the BJP. The last few months have seen open hostility between the chief ministers of Bihar and Gujarat. Mr Kumar has made it clear that he may opt out of the partnership if Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is picked as the NDA's candidate for Prime Minister for the next general election. Mr Kumar has not named Mr Modi but has said that the NDA's nominee for PM must have secular credentials. Mr Modi's prime ministerial ambitions are challenged by the communal riots that took place in Gujarat in 2002 during his first term as chief minister.
The BJP is keen on preserving its collaboration with Mr Kumar in Bihar. In a recent interview to NDTV, the party's president, Nitin Gadkari, said that he has assured Mr Kumar that the party has not yet decided on whether Mr Modi will be its choice for Prime Minister. Mr Gadkari said he is confident that the Bihar chief minister and his party will not exit the NDA coalition.
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