BackNitish Kumar not a contender for opposition's prime ministerial face but can be an option if...: JD(U) chief
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar wants united opposition to take on BJP and he will work towards this goal
PremiumNitish Kumar is not a contender for the opposition's prime ministerial face but can be an option if other parties want so, said JD(U) chief Lalan Singh on Friday amid speculations that he is willing to throw in his hat for Prime Minister. The JD(U) president also said that the Bihar chief minister is currently working towards creating a united oppotision to take on BJP.
The JD(U) president and Lok Sabha MP told news agency PTI that many opposition leaders, including Sharad Pawar and Arvind Kejriwal, called up Kumar to congratulate him after he snapped ties with the BJP and allied with its rivals to form a new government in Bihar.
He said all opposition parties should sit together to decide on the leadership to take on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls.
"Or, all parties should fight unitedly to defeat the BJP and decide later who will be their leader. Both options are there. Nitish Kumar will work on bringing all other parties fighting the BJP on one platform to pose a united challenge to its rule," he said.
Last week, Kumar himself expressed that he has no such ambitions saying, “I say this with folded hands, I have no such thoughts. My work is to work for everyone."
However, he said he is working toward bringing the entire opposition together. "I will make an effort to see that all the Opposition parties walk and work together. If they do, it will be good."
Last week, Nitish Kumar broke his alliance with the BJP for the second time in eight years before joining hands with RJD and other parties in the Mahagathbandhan including the Congress and Left parties. The Grand Alliance also has the support of Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM), which has four MLAs in the Assembly.
He was sworn chief minister for a record eighth time after he resigned from the post a day earlier and quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav took an oath as deputy chief minister.
Meanwhile, the BJP has accused Nitish Kumar of "disrespecting" the mandate given by the people of Bihar. BJP and JD-U had fought the assembly polls together in 2020. Nitish Kumar was made Chief Minister though the BJP won more seats.
(With inputs from agencies)
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