‘BJP doors shut': Sushil Modi on Ramdas Athawale's invite to Nitish Kumar for ‘NDA return’

Ramdas Athawale on Saturday announced that Nitish Kumar, who snapped ties with the saffron party in 2022, can return to the BJP-led NDA anytime.

Updated on: Jul 30, 2023, 21:53:29 IST

By HT News Desk | Written by Ritu Maria Johny

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Reacting to union minister Ramdas Athawale extending an invitation to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to rejoin the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fold, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sushil Modi said his party is not in favour of it. Calling the JD(U) leader a ‘burden’, Modi said that Athawale was not the spokesperson of NDA and his statements were his personal opinion. He further said that Kumar had lost the ability to convert votes.

BJP MP Sushil Modi also called Bihar CM Nitish Kumar (R) a ‘burden’. (File)

Read: Sushil Modi on Nitish explaining why he skipped Oppn presser: ‘We know him’

Speaking to news agency ANI, Modi said, “Even if he wants to come, BJP is not ready for it. Ramdas Athawale is neither a BJP spokesperson nor an NDA spokesperson. He is the leader of a party and a Union Minister so this must be his personal opinion. But BJP has shut all its doors…I doubt if RJD will be able to bear it for long. His capability to transfer votes has ended. In the last Vidhan Sabha election it was seen that had Narendra Modi not come, he (Nitish Kumar) would not have won 44 seats. In politics, you are important if you have the power of votes. Otherwise, you hold no importance...”

Athawale on Saturday announced that Kumar, who snapped ties with the saffron party in 2022, can return to the BJP-led NDA anytime. The union minister also appreciated the CM for his ‘good work’ in Bihar and requested Kumar not to attend the next joint opposition meet in mumbai.

Read: 'My stand is clear..': RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary on rumours of joining NDA

“Nitishji is with us and he can return to the NDA anytime…I am not happy that Nitishji has left us again,” Athawale said.

With the support of the ‘Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) Kumar walked out of NDA and joined hands with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to form a new government. He is one of the most prominent faces of the opposition parties' alliance - India.

Athawale, whose Republican Party of India (Athawale) is part of the ruling NDA, also attacked the INDIA alliance, alleging that its sole agenda was to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi from power.

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