On Tuesday, July 18, posters mocking Bihar CM Nitish Kumar emerged in various places in Bengaluru, including major areas like Windsor Manor Bridge and Airport Road. The posters in which he was referred to as the “unstable Prime Ministerial contender” appeared at a time when Opposition parties are holding a two-day mega ‘unity’ meeting in the city in a show of strength ahead of the crucial 2024 General Elections.
#WATCH | Karnataka | Ahead of the second day of Opposition leaders' meeting in Bengaluru, posters and banners targetting Bihar CM Nitish Kumar were put up at Bengaluru's Chalukya Circle, Windsor Manor Bridge and on the Airport road near Hebbal. pic.twitter.com/y6wCro7SXF
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2023
One of the posters highlighted Nitish Kumar’s shortcomings, particularly the collapse of the Sultanganj bridge in Bihar in April 2022 and again in June 2023.
The poster read, “The unstable Prime Ministerial contender. Bangalore rolls out the Red Carpet for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. First date of Sultanganj bridge collapse – April 2022. Second date of Sultanganj bridge collapse – June 2023.”
Another poster poked fun at Nitish Kumar’s attempts to rally the opposition against the BJP-led government in the next Lok Sabha election, despite the fact that bridges in Bihar were unable to withstand his governance.
“Welcome to Shri Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister, Government of Bihar. Sultanganj Bridge, Nitish Kumar’s gift to Bihar, that keeps collapsing. While bridges in Bihar cannot withstand his reign, count on him to lead the ‘Opposition Party’ campaign,” it reads.
After becoming aware of the posters placed at “Chalukya Circle,” a short distance from the location of the conference that Nitish Kumar is attending, the police acted swiftly and removed the posters.
Notably, last month, the state of Bihar had also witnessed a poster war just a day before 17 opposition parties are scheduled to meet to discuss the timeline and the roadmap for the approaching 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The controversy arose after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chapter in Delhi displayed a poster calling for unity among the opposition while the chapter in Bihar referred to Nitish Kumar as the BJP’s ‘B team.’
After severing relations with the BJP, Nitish Kumar joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress to form the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). He has since been actively trying to bring together opposition groups to oppose the saffron party.
The Bihar Chief Minister chaired the first Opposition meeting in Patna on June 23.
The Opposition meeting in Bengaluru, meanwhile, is being attended by 26 opposition groups, including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), and Samajwadi Party (SP).
