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Nitish Kumar denies rumours of rift in alliance, predicts 200 seats for NDA next year
Trying to instill confidence, he asserted, “All is well. Let me assure you that the NDA is on course to cross the 200 seat mark next year. Only those banking on turmoil in the alliance are again heading for trouble and a shock of their lifetime.”
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday ruled out the possibility of a rift in the alliance and said that those angling to drive a wedge in the relations between JD (U) and BJP will eventually land in trouble as the NDA was all set to win more than 200 seats, out of the 243 seats, in state assembly polls next year.
In his address to the newly elected members of the state council, the chief minister said, “There are many who think there is some ‘khachpach (turmoil)’ in the alliance. There is nothing of that sort. They lack political maturity and even go to the extent of launching personal attacks on me for publicity.”
Trying to instill confidence, he asserted, “All is well. Let me assure you that the NDA is on course to cross the 200 seat mark next year. Only those banking on turmoil in the alliance are again heading for trouble and a shock of their lifetime.”
“Try to recall the days leading to the run up to the 2010 assembly elections. Many doubted our ability to get anywhere near the majority mark. But we managed to secure 206 seats. We are going to do that again,” he said.
As for the attacks, Kumar said that he did not take cognizance of such irrational outbursts and advised his party spokespersons to exercise restraint to avoid getting drawn into all this. “Instead the focus should invariably be on presenting the party position on different issues in a clear and firm manner,” the JD (U) national president said.
This is the first time the JD (U) president spoke on the purported turmoil in the NDA that was being fed by a few alliance partner leaders and also by the opposition RJD which extended an invite to Nitish Kumar to re-join the Grand Alliance.
Taking a dig at RJD and its leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, without taking his name, Kumar said that everybody remembers the statements against me ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, but the people taught them a lesson. “I keep on doing my work, that too without hankering after publicity. People remember good work. They are silent most of the times, but decisively reward you with votes when the time comes,” he said.
The JD (U), which has its roots in the Samata Party floated under the leadership of late George Fernandes, has never wavered in its commitment to its philosophy and to the people. “We have not neglected any social segment and remained steadfast in upholding our zero tolerance for crime, corruption and communalism,” Kumar said.
In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the NDA won 39 out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats with the BJP getting 17 out of 17 contested, JD (U) 16 out of 17 and LJP all the six seats they were allotted in the seat sharing formula.
Kumar congratulated Bashsitha Narain Singh, who was declared elected as the state unit president for the third consecutive term, and asked the new team to step up training programmes and also carry out workers conference and public meetings in each assembly segments by February next year. The party will complete its national level organizational polls in October.
