Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi at his Tughlaq Road residence on Monday checking off the first item on his long "to-do" list. The two leaders are learnt to have discussed the current political situation in the country and ways to ensure opposition unity.
According to media reports, the meeting was indicative of uniting the opposition ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, Kumar expressed no intention of occupying the 'top post'.
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.
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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 the Nationalist Congress Party’s Sharad Pawar, Aam Aadmi Party’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.
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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”.
(with inputs from PTI)
