'No intention to become PM candidate,' says Nitish Kumar as he meets Rahul Gandhi in Delhi

New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the national Capital on Monday. The two leaders are believed to have discussed the current political situation in the country and ways to ensure Opposition unity, PTI reported.

Kumar also met Janata Dal (Secular) chief H D Kumaraswamy at the latter’s residence.

The meeting between Gandhi and Kumar at the former Congress chief’s residence lasted almost an hour. Kumar was accompanied by Bihar Water Resources Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha.

“There is a concerted effort to weaken regional parties. My effort is to unite the Opposition ahead of the General Elections. I have no intention of pitching myself as a prime ministerial candidate,” Kumar told reporters after the meeting.

This is the first meeting between Gandhi and Kumar since the latter walked out of the NDA in Bihar and formed a ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government with RJD, Congress, and outside support of the Left.

Kumar arrived in the national capital on Monday. He is likely to meet several opposition leaders including NCP’s Sharad Pawar, AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal, CPI-M’s Sitaram Yechury, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala on Tuesday.

Kumar is making attempts to bring all opposition parties together as a united force against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The JD(U) leader is being talked about in political circles as a key face to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Taking a swipe at Kumar, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader and Jamui MP Chirag Paswan said a chief minister who ordered lathi-charge on those seeking jobs is on a three-day visit to Delhi with prime ministerial ambitions.

Instead of focusing on Bihar’s development, he is busy trying to unite the Opposition, Paswan said in a tweet in Hindi and tagged Kumar in it.
Paswan’s party also hit out at Kumar in a tweet and said, “There are floods in Bihar, but the chief minister is away from Bihar”.

BJP’s doors permanently shut to Nitish: Sushil Modi

Earlier in the day, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said that the doors of his party were “permanently shut” for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who dumped it last month, causing the saffron party to lose power in the state.

Modi, widely perceived to have been sidelined in his party on account of his proximity to Kumar, came out with a statement claiming that it will not be long before the JD(U) leader did yet another volte-face.

With inputs from PTI

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