By Our Special Correspondent
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said he is neither a claimant nor aspiring for the post of prime minister, amid speculation that his visit to Delhi was to claim leadership of opposition parties.
Kumar told reporters after meeting CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary D. Raja at their party offices that the time has come for the Left, Congress and all regional parties to form a united opposition.
The Janata Dal (United) leader, who severed his party's ties with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) last month, arrived in the capital to meet key opposition leaders. "I have a long association with CPI (M) since my childhood. You all have not seen me but I used to visit this office whenever I came to Delhi.
We were separated but today we are all together again. Our focus is on uniting the Left, regional parties and Congress. If we all come together, this will be a big thing," he said.
Asked about his aspiration for the post of prime minister, Kumar said, “It is wrong. I am not a claimant to that post nor am I aspiring for it. Yechury said Kumar's return to the opposition seat and his desire to be a part of the fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a great sign for the country Politics.
“First, the agenda is to unite all parties, not to decide on a prime ministerial candidate. When the time comes, we will decide on the prime ministerial candidate and let you know,” the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader said.
Yechury said that the opposition has not formulated any concrete roadmap as of now, but discussions are going on. "We are hopeful that the political parties who want to protect the country's unity, diversity, its unique character and constitution will come together," he said.
Comments