New Delhi: The growing bonhomie between Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar has again come to the fore, with the former hosting a function, in an apparent move to help the latter ahead of the crucial Bihar polls.
The Delhi government will be hosting a 'Bihar Samman Sammelan' on August 19 to felicitate people working for the
upliftment of the state, but residing in the capital, in which Kumar will be the chief guest.
The development assumes significance as the state polls are round the corner where Kumar faces a tough fight from the NDA alliance whose campaign is spearheaded by PM Narendra Modi.
Kejriwal's Delhi government too shares an uneasy relationship with the Centre and is at odds with the Modi dispensation amid its continuous turf wars.
Both have a common political foe. The AAP has not openly supported Kumar yet, as it fears backlash if it aligns itself with Kumar, who is in alliance with RJD chief Lalu Prasad, convicted in a corruption case.
However, the AAP is not fielding candidates in Bihar polls citing "lack of proper organisational structure". Both the leaders share a "good equation" with Kumar even sending Bihar Police personnel on deputation in Delhi ACB when Kejriwal was at logger-heads with the Lt Governor over anti-graft agency.
The Bihar chief minister will also attend a seminar on "cooperative federalism" on September 22 organised by Kejriwal. Interestingly, Delhi has a sizeable number of Poorvanchali and Bihari population. In the national capital alone, it is a deciding factor in several assembly constituencies. Owing to this, the AAP had even formed a
Poorvanchali cell before the Delhi assembly polls.
The party also has several Poorvanchali MLAs. Kapil Mishra, the Minister for Art, Culture and Languages, however, claimed the event was "strictly" cultural and there is no "political" angle to it. "It is an event where people who have worked for Bihar will be felicitated. There is nothing political in the event," the minister said.
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