By Our Special Correspondent
Shortly after taking oath as Bihar Chief Minister for the eighth time, Nitish Kumar on Wednesday took his first flak at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, “Those who came to power in 2014 should worry whether they will be in power in 2024 after that."
He said he would work for opposition unity to defeat the ruling NDA at the Centre, fueling speculation that he might switch to national politics and vacate his seat for RJD's Tejaswi Prasad Yadav when the time comes. For the record, he claims that he is not a claimant to the post of Prime Minister and has no such ambition.
Former JD (U) chief Sharad Yadav, who is now with the RJD, did not rule out the possibility of Nitish emerging as the opposition prime ministerial candidate in 2024. In JD (U), its Parliamentary Board Chairman Upendra Kushwaha said, “Nitish Kumar has all the qualifications to be the Prime Minister. We are not making any claims, but he has all the qualities of the post. JD(U) national chief Rajiv Ranjan Singh also echoed him.
“It is too early to say anything as Nitish dumped the NDA to form the government with a seven-party Mahaghatabandhan (grand alliance) just a day ago. But it is also true that he can become the prime ministerial candidate if the Congress comes to the fore," said an analyst on condition of anonymity.
On the occasion of the swearing-in ceremony, there was excitement in the Grand Alliance. RJD workers distributed sweets outside the Raj Bhavan till the end of the programme. RJD, JD (U), Congress, Left parties and HAM put broad smiles on leader's faces.
The BJP was not represented at the ceremony and its leader Sushil Kumar Modi said it was due to not receiving an official invitation. Sushil Modi later created a ruckus by saying that Nitish wanted the vice-presidential post, adding that he was ready to allow the BJP to lead an NDA government in Bihar as a quid pro quo.
But Sushil Modi alleged that he left the NDA after the BJP rejected it. But Rajiv Ranjan Singh dismissed that claim, instead taking a dig at Sushil Modi, recalling how the BJP punished him for being close to Nitish.
Tejashwi touched Nitish's feet after taking oath as Deputy CM. Later, he said that the aspirations of the youth will be fulfilled as the government will start the process of providing job opportunities within a month.
Nitish Kumar sees no major problems in running the new grand coalition government to complete the 2020 mandate. “Dekhte Jaiye Aage Hota Hai Kya” (Keep watching the future), his cryptic one-liner.
Comments