India, Sept. 1 -- Rahul Gandhi-led Voter Adhikar Yatra of the Opposition bloc in Bihar is a futile exercise with a few takers and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is cohesive and confident of getting even bigger mandate due to the turnaround of the state since Nitish Kumar took reins in 2005, says Sanjay Kumar Jha, working president of JD(U) and a Rajya Sabha MP, in an interview with Arun Kumar. Excerpts: Worried? We are happy that the Opposition is involved in an issue that has no takers. Abuse and provocative sloganeering don't get people's support. People of India and Bihar have time and again conveyed this message. If the Congress and the INDI Alliance feels they can negate Bihar's phenomenal growth story with negativity, it is their choice. It is not without a reason that CM Nitish Kumar remains the only choice for the people. I don't see much of an impact. In fact, it could have a reverse impact to further push back the Congress, which has no footing in Bihar. The RJD has provided space to the Congress to seize the lead role in the Opposition and that is the only impact I see. The politics of the country and Bihar have evolved and parties like the Congress and the RJD are still banking on their old tricks, which can no more work. Now people assess who has delivered what and that is where both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar stand tall. The inclusive growth of Bihar has hardly left no section untouched and now with big boost to infrastructure growth, Bihar is set for next phase of industrial development. The SIR is an issue for the Election Commission to tackle and for the political parties to support the constitutional body with its proper conduct so that no genuine voter is left out. The EC published the draft roll, sought objections, furnished the list of deleted voters district wise after the Supreme Court directive, served noticess . Now, the Congress and the RJD want that no voter should be deleted either or without reason. The SIR is an exercise to protect the genuine voters by cleaning the rolls and it is carried out from time to time. The INDI Alliance earlier planned a rally in Patna and now has altered it to a Padyatra as it itself realises the truth of response. We don't need to counter such things. Vote theft is the INDI Alliance insecurity as their trick has been exposed by the EC. They talk about 'Vote Chori' and I have heard people already having their voter I-cards saying in Mithilanchal 'Chor baje jod se' (Culprits speak louder for justification). This is after they crossed the area. We don't believe in this kind of low-grade rhetoric. The problem is that Nitish Kumar has drawn such a big line in Bihar and the way the PM has extended support to the state, the Opposition is desperate as they see the writing on the wall. The CM does not give sops. He has given the people of Bihar what they deserve for being patient and supportive to the Bihar turnaround story. He has put Bihar in a a position where it can fulfil the aspirations of the people and make them more aspirational. What he has done is before the people to make an informed choice and compare the days when long power cuts even in Patna and non-existent roads, schools and hospitals, besides utter lawlessness and kidnapping, made life difficult. It is the second phase of women's empowerment through financial assistance after the success of Jeevika to help women irrespective of caste and creed start their own enterprise to give a boost to rural economy and make their own life prosperous. Imagine one woman each from 270 million families getting Rs.10,000 each with an upper cap of Rs.2-lakh to start small business. One may buy a cow or start a shop, but all that will go into strengthening rural economy. Even 50% joining the business, which is very likely considering over 12 million women associated with Jeevika, it will be a game changer for the Bihar economy. It is part of Nitish Kumar's well thought-out plan to strengthen rural economy as engine of Bihar's growth. The PM has turned his focus on Bihar as part of his eastern push, as he understands the importance of state to add pace to country's growth. The Opposition often cited Bihar Package in the past, but now the assistance to the state has far exceeded that and it is still growing. Bihar remained neglected for far too long and it was the Nitish Kumar led NDA government that has put it on development track and now the state has reached the take off stage. Still, every election is a high-stake battle, but it needs to be fought in the right spirit Seat-sharing is not an issue in the NDA. There was no issue even a year ago during the Lok Sabha election and there is no hitch now as well. All parties have aspirations to fight more seats, but ultimately it is the alliance requirements that determine. The real difference this time is that the NDA is fighting as one unit under PM Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar and the joint campaigning at the Vidhan Sabha level across the state has sent a positive message of cohesion. When the objective is one, there is no room for any misunderstanding. Everything will be clear once a final decision is made soon. NDA is confident as it has its report card to show. As the CM himself says, he committed mistake twice. JD(U) believes in learning from mistakes and not repeating it. Past is over. The Nitish Kumar government has delivered and the people acknowledge it due to positive change in their lives in more ways than one. That is our USP. There is no section in the society that has remained untouched by Bihar's development. We are going to poll under Nitish Kumar, as always. In 2020, the BJP emerged as a much bigger party than the JD(U), but despite Nitish Kumar's reluctance he was asked to continue. Bihar has seen many CMs, and also Nitish Kumar. The people of Bihar are smart enough to decipher who is what. Nitish Kumar walks the talk and that is what sets him apart. The Opposition talks about his illness, but people see his stamina and passion for work. Why look beyond when you have an ace for the job?...