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INDIA grouping must act swiftly to finalise poll strategy: Nitish
Amid speculation of unrest in the INDIA bloc, Bihar chief minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar on Friday said he was not able to join a meeting of the bloc on Friday due to ill health, but would definitely attend the next one.
Amid speculation of unrest in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar said he was not able to join a meeting of the bloc on Wednesday due to ill health, but would definitely attend the next one.
Kumar, who played an instrumental role in bringing together different parties opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), also stressed the need for the INDIA bloc to “act swiftly to finalise its future strategies”.
The Congress had planned for a meeting of the INDIA bloc on Wednesday, but at least three non-Congress chief ministers, including Kumar, and a former chief minister expressed their inability to attend, prompting the grand old party to call for a coordination meeting of parliamentary party leaders instead.
The development came against the backdrop of the Congress suffering an electoral drubbing in three heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on Sunday and disquiet among INDIA bloc allies over stalled seat-sharing talks.
“I want work to progress. It was being said in the news that I won’t attend the meeting. This is nonsense, I was down with a fever at that time. It was not possible to attend the meeting. But, I will attend the next meeting of the INDIA coalition. We should chalk out a plan for the future,” Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Patna.
On Tuesday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad said the next meeting of the Opposition alliance would be held on December 17.
Kumar reiterated that he was not in the race for any post in the INDIA alliance, but said the bloc must act swiftly and work on issues like seat-sharing.
“There is speculation in the media, but I am not in the race for any post in the INDIA bloc. I have no personal interest,” he said.
“I want the INDIA coalition to act swiftly to finalise its future strategies, including the seat-sharing issue, in the next meeting,” he added.
The JD(U) leader also sought to downplay BJP’s victory in the three heartland states, saying there is “no need to discuss much” on such wins of the BJP. “The Congress has performed well in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh. These things happen in electoral politics. Earlier, there were Congress governments in these states...now BJP has won. There is no need to discuss much on such issues. The Congress has won Telangana this time,” he said.
The Congress welcomed Kumar’s decision to attend the INDIA bloc meeting.
“It is good that Nitish Kumar is attending the meeting, which will focus on discussing the poll strategy, adjustment of seats and coordination among the INDIA bloc parties for the crucial Lok Sabha elections. The way things are moving forward, the INDIA bloc will surely unseat the BJP from power,” AICC media panelist and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra said.
