RJD tries to lure Nitish Kumar as PM candidate, JD (U) says it is rubbish

The JD (U) said the RJD’s offer showed its desperation because they have not been able to get over their defeat in the assembly election.

Trying to leverage the acrimony between the BJP and JD (U) after six of the latter’s MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh defected to the saffron party, the main opposition in Bihar, the RJD, has tried to lure Nitish Kumar in an effort to form the government in the state.

The RJD offered to back Nitish Kumar as Prime Ministerial candidate in 2024 if he makes way for Tejashwi Yadav to take over as Chief minister of Bihar.(PTI FILE PHOTO)

The party has offered to project Kumar as Prime Ministerial candidate for 2024 Lok Sabha polls provided he hands over the reins of Bihar to Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who was the Mahaghatbandhan (Grand Alliance) chief ministerial candidate in the recently concluded assembly election.

The JD (U) has rejected the idea by terming it as “rubbish.”

Senior RJD leaders, Uday Narain Chowdhary, a former Speaker and Vijay Prakash while floating this idea said, “Nitish Kumar will be projected as well as supported as PM candidate of opposition parties.”

Chowdhary, however, put a pre-condition for that. “Nitish Kumar should back Tejashwi as CM of Bihar,” he said, while talking to journalists. The former’s Speaker suggestion was backed by another party leader Vijay Prakash, who suggested that Kumar should go to Delhi and make way for Tejashwi in the state.

The RJD’s offer, which came amid the bitterness between BJP and JD (U) after the defections in Arunachal Pradesh, shows that the main opposition party has not stopped its effort to form government in the state. The offer was, however, rejected by both the alliance partners – JD (U) and the BJP.

“This shows their dejection. They have not been able to digest their defeat yet. The verdict has dashed their dreams. They are talking rubbish,” said JD (U) state president Bashistha Narain Singh and advised the RJD to wait till 2025 and make a fresh effort.

The BJP called it daydreaming by the RJD. “Chowdhary’s proposal is a joke. They are daydreaming. The RJD should introspect on its relationship with the Congress,” said BJP’s spokesperson Nikhil Anand.

The Congress too called it a non-serious offer. “Is this the party’s official line? This is an uncalled for and a non-serious talk,” said Congress leader Premchandra Mishra. “The question of projecting Kumar as PM candidate does not arise. We have Rahul Gandhi as our candidate. Moreover, as long as Kumar is in NDA, the question of such talks doesn’t arise,” he said.

Nitish Kumar had forged an alliance with the RJD in 2015 and returned to power with a thumping majority. However, mid-way, he walked out of the GA and formed a government with the BJP’s support.