Days after Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Giriraj Singh had said he did not want the votes of the “namak haram” (traitors) while referring to Muslims, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday appealed to the community to vote.
Mr. Kumar made his appeal on social media platform X, listing out the work done by his government for Muslims. “I humbly request all of you to not to fall into any confusion. Remember the work our government has done for you and decide whom to vote for,” Mr. Kumar said.
Nothing had been done for Muslim people in the State before 2005, Mr. Kumar said, without naming former Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi.
“Those who were in power in Bihar used the Muslim community only as a vote bank. Communal clashes were taking place frequently in different parts of the State. Since November 24, 2005, when our government was formed, continuous efforts have been made for the Muslim community,” Mr. Kumar said.
Mr. Singh fuelled a controversy with remarks he made at a rally in Arwal on October 18, which went viral on social media the following day. In a video clip, Mr. Singh is seen criticising members of the minority community for not voting for the BJP despite, he claimed, benefiting from various government schemes.
The Chief Minister addressed Muslims in his post. “You people know that in the year 2025-26, the budget of the Minority Welfare Department was increased 306 times, with a provision of ₹1,080.47 crore. To ensure that communal incidents do not occur in the State, the fencing of sensitive graveyards was started in 2006. So far, more than 8,000 graveyards have been fenced,” Mr. Kumar said.
In the run-up to the Assembly election, in consultation with the Muslim community, 1,273 additional graveyards had been identified for fencing, of which 746 had been completed, and work on the remaining graveyards would be finished soon, Mr. Kumar said.
“When Opposition parties were in power, communal riots took place in Bhagalpur in 1989. The government failed to stop the riots, and the previous governments did nothing for the victims of communal riots. When we got the opportunity to serve, the Bhagalpur communal riots were investigated, strict action was taken against the culprits, and compensation was provided to the victims,” Mr. Kumar said.
Financial assistance in the form of pensions was being given to families affected by the riots, he said.
Since 2006, madrasas had been registered and granted government recognition, and teachers in madrasas were being paid salaries equivalent to those of government teachers, Mr. Kumar said. Since 2007, a one-time assistance of ₹10,000 had been provided to abandoned/divorced Muslim women to help them gain employment, a sum that had now been increased to ₹25,000.
Bihar CM listed out the schemes for the upliftment of the Mulsim community, including ‘Talimi Markaz’ and ‘Hunar’, apart from scholarships, free coaching, hostels, grants, and other schemes for students and youth.
“Now, during the Bihar Assembly election, some people are once again trying to portray themselves as well-wishers of the Muslim community. This is all deception. Various temptations and tactics are being used solely to secure the votes of the Muslim community, while no efforts are being made to give them any significant representation,” Mr. Kumar said.
Without any discrimination, Muslims were receiving proper representation in every field, Mr. Kumar said, whereas previous governments had used the Muslim community only for votes, giving them no share in power, he alleged.
Out of 243 Assembly seats to be contested in the forthcoming Assembly election, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which in Bihar comprises the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), the BJP, the Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (LJP-RV), the Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S), and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), has given tickets to only five Muslim candidates. This includes four seats to Muslim candidates by the JD(U), and one by the LJP(RV).
Muslims account for 17.7% of Bihar’s population, and their votes are decisive in 87 Assembly constituencies.
Published – October 25, 2025 10:53 pm IST
