Patna, In a surprising move, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who recently exited the INDIA bloc and aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party, revealed that he had recommended an alternative name for the political group and criticized the alliance for indecision on seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha assembly elections.
Nitish Kumar expressed his discontent, stating, “I was urging them to choose another name for the alliance. But they had already finalized it. I was trying so hard. They did not do even one thing. Till today they haven’t decided which party will contest how many seats. This is why I left them and came back to who I was with initially. I will keep working for the people of Bihar,” as quoted by news agency ANI.
He also took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of falsely claiming credit for the Bihar caste census. Kumar emphasized that he conducted the caste census in the presence of nine parties and accused Gandhi of taking undeserved credit.
The Congress responded to Kumar’s departure by labeling him a chameleon, while JD(U) leader KC Tyagi alleged a Congress conspiracy in proposing Mallikarjun Kharge’s name as the prime ministerial face of the alliance.
This marks Nitish Kumar’s fourth political switch in the last decade. The INDIA bloc, now facing internal strife, was originally organized under Kumar’s leadership. The fallout from his move to the NDA has resulted in verbal sparring between the two sides.
Jairam Ramesh, a Congress leader, downplayed the impact of Kumar’s exit, stating, “It is good riddance. It is true that Kumar had hosted the first meeting of opposition leaders in Patna, and had been attending all subsequent conclaves. But, although we could not make out what were his plans, in the past two or three months his behaviour was not inspiring trust.”
The INDIA bloc now faces challenges following Kumar’s departure, with the alliance undergoing shifts just days after Mamata Banerjee declared her party’s decision to contest the upcoming general elections independently in West Bengal.
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