Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said it was important for the Opposition to come together against the Bharatiya Janata Party and that a leader of such an alliance can be decided later, PTI reported.
Kumar made the remarks after meeting Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar at his residence in New Delhi.
“Both [Sharad] Pawar and I are keen to unite opposition forces who are not with the BJP,” Kumar said. “A leader of the alliance can be decided later. It is important to come together first.”
Kumar, who is on a three-day visit to the national capital, has been meeting several leaders of the Opposition in a bid to unite them against the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Since Monday, he has met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of India’s D Raja, Indian National Lok Dal chief Om Prakash Chautala and Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav.
Kumar’s visit to Delhi is the first since he severed alliance with the BJP in Bihar on August 9 and joined hands with the Mahagathbandhan, or the Grand Alliance, to form the government the next day.
The saffron party has alleged that the Janata Dal (United) chief wishes to become the next prime minister – a claim Kumar has denied on several occasions.
On Wednesday, Kumar said he would come to the national capital once again to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi once she returns from abroad.
“I have met all the people in Delhi and many of them thanked me for coming out of the NDA [National Democratic Alliance],” Kumar said, according to PTI. “Everyone wishes that there should be unity in every state and such an atmosphere will be created in the country in the coming days.”
Kumar also said that an understanding between the Congress, the Left parties with a socialist background and others will be in the interest of the country.
“If all non-BJP parties in various parts of the country come together, then a good atmosphere will emerge in the country,” he added.
He also criticised Modi government, alleging that it has been running a one-sided agenda and that its efforts have mostly been focused on stoking tension in the country, according to PTI.
“Little work has been done by this government,” Kumar said. “But it puts a lot of emphasis on propaganda and publicity.”
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