Nitish Kumar praises PM Modi for central university in Champaran, condemns Cong for rejecting it earlier

Nitish Kumar thanked PM Modi for setting up a central university in Champaran, a place from where Mahatma Gandhi launched his first satyagraha movement. He said that earlier when he had approached the Congress for the university, the party had denied saying it would not be good to have the varsity here.

Patna: Amid speculations of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar returning to the NDA fold led by the BJP, the Janata Dal (United) leader on Thursday created a political stir by showering praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and criticising the Congress at the convocation ceremony of Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Motihari. President Droupadi Murmu was also present at the occasion.

While speaking at the convocation, Kumar said in 2007, the Centre decided to establish central universities in many states and passed the Central Universities Act in 2009. "He (Narendra Modi) had promised one such varsity in Bihar and he fulfilled his promise. We thank him for selecting Bihar to set up a central university," Kumar said.

"We will continue to respect him for this as long as we live. We had said that the university should be build in Champaran, where Mahatma Gandhi had launched his first satyagraha movement. In 2014, approval was given for the university and work started in 2016. I am very happy about this" Kumar said.

Along with praising PM Modi and expressing his gratitude for approving the central university in Champaran, Kumar criticised the Congress for rejecting it earlier. "Champaran should be given importance at the national level. I thank Narendra Modi for giving this importance and we will continue to respect him as long as we live. Earlier when we had asked Congress to set up a central university in Champaran we were denied. We were told that it would not be a good decision to have the varsity here. It is surprising that people like you (Congress leaders) are forgetting Mahatma Gandhi. We had also asked for a university in Gaya along with Champaran," he said adding that establishing a central university in Champaran has been a long drawn demand.

He also told President Murmu that he would take her to a tour of the district and show her the schools here. "Earlier, there was nothing so we wanted a central university to be built here," he added.