Shrawan Kumar, JD(U) leader and Bihar Rural Development Minister, informed PTI on Thursday that Nitish Kumar’s rally was cancelled because the administration of Jagatpur Inter College in Varanasi’s Rohania, where the event was scheduled to take place, refused to grant permission.
The BJP rejected the claim that the Yogi Adityanath government denied permission for the rally and stated that the Janata Dal (United) cancelled Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s rally in Uttar Pradesh upon realizing that it would be a “flop show”. The JD(U) had previously claimed that the rally was cancelled after local authorities denied permission for it, citing that the area is a stronghold of the Apna Dal and the BJP. Rohaniya Assembly segment is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.
According to former Bihar deputy chief minister and BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi, the cancellation was due to the low expected participation and strong support for the opposing parties in the area. Shrawan Kumar had also claimed that the cancellation was due to pressure from the local administration and the state government. However, Sushil Modi dismissed these claims, stating that no application was submitted and local authorities were not even aware of the rally.
Modi challenged JD(U) leaders to provide a copy of the application if it was indeed submitted, emphasizing that the rally was cancelled independently due to the expectation of low turnout.