Nitish Kumar (File)
Opposition parties on Wednesday criticised Nitish Kumar’s decision to dump the grand alliance and jump over to the BJP-led NDA.
CPI leader D Raja said there was apprehension regarding Nitish for some time, and “finally, it happened — Nitish Kumar He as gone over to the BJP.”
Calling it betrayal of trust, Raja said, “At a time when all secular forces should come together and fight the communal forces, how come Nitish Kumar join hands with the BJP? This is not only political opportunism but also betrayal of the secular democratic cause, for which we all tried to be together.’’
“Anyone who supports BJP now backs lynching of minorities, atrocities against Dalits, pushing farmers to suicide and making our youth jobless,” CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, without referring to Nitish.
Calling Nitish’s move unfortunate, Janata Dal (Secular) leader Danish Ali said, “A person whom the Opposition was thinking of projecting as its leader has dumped the whole ideology. Nitish Kumar was the first person to give a call for Sangh-mukt Bharat without anybody asking him to do so. It is unfortunate that when the country needed secular forces to unite, he has done this. This is his second such step. He had first given acceptability to the BJP by joining hands with it in the late 1990s and has done so again when the atmosphere in the country is so bad.’’
Nationalist Congress Party general secretary D P Tripathi also slammed Nitish. “By accepting BJP’s support, he has compromised with basic ideology. He had given a call for Sangh-mukt Bharat and tomorrow he is going to bring in Sangh-yukt Bharat.’’
