Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said that he does not want to become the Prime Minister and is trying to unite the opposition. Nitish Kumar’s reaction came after the BJP severed ties and formed a new government with the RJD
Bihar, First Published Aug 12, 2022, 8:42 PM IST
Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said that he does not want to become the Prime Minister and is trying to unite the opposition. Nitish Kumar’s reaction came after the BJP severed ties and formed a new government with the RJD. Nitish’s new statement comes amid rumors that he will be fielded as a joint opposition candidate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
I say this with folded hands. I have no such thoughts … My job is to work for everyone. I will try to keep all opposition parties together and work. It would be good if they do, Nitish was replying to reporters when asked if he was the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate in Patna.
But when asked what role you can play in bringing about unity among the disparate opposition parties, he said, ‘Our role will be positive. I get a lot of calls. I want everyone to stand together (against the BJP-led NDA). You will see its movements in the coming days, he added. Nitish was also asked if he would go to Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat to campaign for the assembly elections to be held at the end of the year. His reply was that he will let me know when the time comes.
Read more: Nitish leaving NDA is a blow to BJP; Tejashwi Yadav meets Sonia Gandhi
Meanwhile, talks between RJD and JDU are in progress regarding the formation of the cabinet in the state. Although Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav took oath of office, the cabinet formation will take place after August 15. RJD, the single largest party, will get more ministerial posts than JD(U). Tejashwi Yadav is making moves for this. The government will have 18 ministers from RJD and 13-14 ministers from JDU. Congress will get four and HAM will get one ministerial post. It is reported that along with Tejashwi Yadav, his brother Tej Pratap Yadav will also be a part of the cabinet.
Read more: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the post of Prime Minister is not in his mind
But it has been clarified that CPI, the main left party with 12 MLAs in the state, will support the MLA from outside. JDU is of the position that CPI ML should be in the cabinet. When that happens, RJD will have to reduce the ministerial position. But the left parties like CPI ML, CPI and CPM are of the position that it is enough to support the grand coalition government from outside. The state committee of the CPI-ML party will meet tomorrow and take a final decision on whether to join the cabinet.
Last Updated Aug 12, 2022, 8:42 PM IST
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