Nitish meets Kejriwal to push for Opposition unity

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar met with his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal at the latter’s residence and the two leaders discussed various issues, including attempts by the BJP to topple opposition governments, inflation, and unemployment. The meeting went on for about 90 minutes.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar met his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal and five other opposition leaders on Monday as part of his effort to forge some sort of unity between opposition parties ahead of the 2024 general election.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar with his Delhi counterpart, Arvind Kejriwal, at the latter’s residence on Tuesday. (HT photo)

Kumar met with Kejriwal at the latter’s residence and the two leaders discussed various issues, including attempts by the Bharatiya Janata Party to topple opposition governments, inflation, and unemployment. The meeting went on for about 90 minutes.

“Thank you so much Nitish ji for visiting my residence. Many serious issues related to the country were discussed – education, health, Operation Lotus, blatant attempts by these people (BJP leaders) to poach MLAs and topple governments elected by the people, unchecked corruption in BJP governments, inflation, and unemployment,” Kejriwal tweeted after the meeting.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and minister in the Nitish Kumar cabinet, Sanjay Kumar Jha, were present during the meeting.

Some opposition leaders see Kumar’s spate of meetings as an attempt to consolidate his position in the anti-BJP camp after spending the past five years in the NDA. “His meetings with various section of the opposition were also an attempt to showcase his wider acceptability,” said one leader who met Kumar on Monday.

In most of these meetings, Kumar advocated that opposition parties come together for the 2024 general elections. He reiterated that he has no prime ministerial ambition. Chautala, the former Haryana chief minister congratulated Kumar for leaving the alliance with the BJP.

“First, the agenda is to unite all parties, not to decide on the PM candidate. When the time comes we will decide the PM candidate and let you all know,” Kumar said to reporters outside the CPI(M) office.

At the CPI(M) office, Kumar reminded the leaders of his “old association” with the Leftists. During the discussion, Yechury reiterated that the election has to be fought through state-level alliances, and national pacts can be possible only after the results, functionaries present during the meeting said, asking not to be named.

While many opposition parties welcomed the Janata Dal (United) leader’s overtures, Kumar’s growing presence in the opposition’s scheme of things for the 2024 Lok Sabha electionsmay make Mamata Banerjee’s Trianmool Congress uneasy,some opposition leaders said. “Banerjee, too, has been involved in such discussions and now Kumar is seen doing the same work,” a senior leader of one party said on condition of anonymity.

“It is time for the Left parties, the Congress and all regional parties to come together to form a united opposition,” Kumar said.