Nitish Kumar says he will start touring entire country for opposition unity once the allies decide on number of seats

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said his former ally BJP would come to know about his strength once he starts touring the entire length and breadth of the country after allies in the opposition camp decide which party would contest how many seats from a particular place (state).
Expressing satisfaction over his recent talks with senior leaders of Congress, AAP and Left parties in New Delhi, the JD(U) de facto leader also said that he would hold talks with the leaders of more parties in the coming days in his bid to unite all opposition parties against the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“A day before yesterday, talks were held with all people in Congress and other parties. They all are now ready to unite. Yesterday, I also spoke with the leaders of CPI and CPM. They all are ready for unity. …. The number of parties, which will agree with each other, will have to sit together and decide what they want to do. It will also be decided which party would contest how many seats from a place (state). After that, I will keep touring the entire country,” Nitish said while addressing JD(U) workers during a programme organised at the party office to commemorate Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary.
While the JD(U) workers kept raising slogans like “Desh ka PM kaisa ho- Nitish Kumar jaisa ho” (the country must have its PM like Nitish Kumar) in the midst of the event, Nitish clarified that his only aim was to unite a maximum number of political parties against the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. He asked the party workers not to raise slogans projecting him as the prime ministerial candidate.
“I request you with folded hands that please do not raise slogans in favour of me. Please stop saying that I will be the leader. If you take my name, there will be meaningless discussion in the country. My only purpose is to unite parties so that the country should be benefitted,” Nitish told his party workers with folded hands.
Making a frontal attack on the BJP, Nitish also said that the people who are ruling at the Centre were trying to distort history, whereas they played no role in the country’s freedom struggle.
The Bihar CM further called upon people not to vote for the BJP because if they do so they would destroy themselves. “If people vote for the BJP, they will destroy themselves. And If people vote against the BJP, they will ensure not only their own progress but also of the state and the country,” he said.
Earlier senior JD(U) leaders like party national president Lalan Singh, national vice president Mangani Lal Mandal, state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha and state’s building construction minister Ashok Choudhary, in their speech, lauded Nitish for his great role in uniting different parties against the BJP.