Patna: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken a swipe at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is currently engaged in an effort to unite opposition parties across the country. Bihar BJP President Samrat Chowdhary has accused Kumar of misusing government funds and asserted that he is not considered a viable candidate for the prime ministerial position.
According to the news agency PTI, Samrat Chaudhary remarked, “Nitish Kumar is having a picnic, roaming around the country, misusing Bihar government’s money. He does not have any base in Bihar. He believes that by extensively traveling, he can create an impression that he is a prime ministerial candidate. However, no one is going to believe him.”
VIDEO | "Nitish Kumar is on a picnic across the country, he is misusing the Bihar government's funds. No one considers him as a PM candidate," says Bihar BJP President Samrat Chaudhary on CM meeting opposition leaders. pic.twitter.com/vvDPhPT9pG
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 22, 2023
Chaudhary further added, “All parties believe that they will contest elections under their own leadership in their respective states. Nitish Kumar will not be trusted by anyone, including the public. Consider this as well. He will be left with zero influence in Bihar.”
The Bihar Chief Minister has been actively attempting to unify opposition parties, meeting with prominent leaders such as Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal, and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Nitish Kumar’s party contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections in alliance with the BJP. However, last year he broke the alliance with the BJP and formed a government in Bihar with the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
Earlier, Nitish Kumar was met Arvind Kejriwal, who had proposed a Rajya Sabha “plan” that could be a “semi-final” before the general elections. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was also present at the meeting.
Calling the Centre bringing an Ordinance circumventing a huge Supreme Court order in favour of the AAP-led government “unconstitutional”, Kejriwal said Nitish Kumar has given him “full support” on the issue, and they’ll fight it out together.
VIDEO | "If all non-BJP parties get united, then this (Centre's ordinance to create an authority for transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi) can be stopped in Rajya Sabha," says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal after meeting with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. pic.twitter.com/eX6GjqWkWN
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 21, 2023
As the political landscape continues to evolve, the outcome of Nitish Kumar’s opposition unification campaign and its impact on the upcoming elections remain uncertain. The exchanges between the Bihar BJP and Kumar’s camp reveal the intensifying political competition in the state and the challenging path ahead for the Bihar Chief Minister as he seeks to solidify his position in the complex realm of national politics.