Cong hints at not being averse to alliance with JD(U)

Congress on Tuesday claimed the JD(U) BJP alliance in Bihar is unlikely to last long and indicated it was not averse to doing business with chief minister Nitish Kumar if his ties with BJP are snapped.

Congress on Tuesday claimed the JD(U) BJP alliance in Bihar is unlikely to last long and indicated it was not averse to doing business with chief minister Nitish Kumar if his ties with BJP are snapped.

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"Whatever JD-U has been doing for sometime, it is becoming clear that it has to carry the load (BJP). We do not think that all is well between the load and the one forced to carry it ", party spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters.

Asked whether Congress considered Nitish Kumar a secular leader, he said he does not give certificates of secularism.

At the same time, he remarked "those who have been aligned with communal forces needed to introspect as to the damage done to the cause of secularism by their actions".

Tewari's remarks came when asked to react on Bihar BJP chief CP Thakur's statement that his party was readying itself to contest all 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2014 elections, apparently suspicious of JD-U.

Thakur, however, expressed confidence JD-U will not walk out of the alliance which runs a coalition government in the state.

"We are are preparing to contest all the 40 Lok Sabha seats from Bihar in the next general elections after taking into account all possibilities, including JD(U) deciding to sever ties with us at some stage," Thakur told PTI in Patna.