Bihar: Nitish urges Rahul to lead anti-BJP campaign

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had started the campaign for unity of the non-Bharatiya Janata Parties (BJP) last year, on Saturday exhorted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to lead the campaign against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

All opposition parties will have to be united to stop the BJP juggernaut in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and limit the seats it gets to 100, said Kumar, who had met Bharat Rashtra Samiti president and Telangana chief minister KCR, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and Left party leaders Sitaram Yechuri and Deepankar Bhattacharya last year in the first leg of his anti-BJP campaign.

CPI (ML) national convention

“I am not in the race for the office of the Prime Minister. The PM face will be decided after the elections,” Kumar said at the national convention of the CPI(ML), which was attended by international delegates from 10 countries and leaders of different political parties.

“I have been waiting for the Congress response on my initiative last year. The Congress should take the lead on opposition unity immediately,” he said.

“Start touring different parts of the country and spread the success story of the Bihar model of good governance with development. The Gujarat model, which did not favour love and affection, has failed. You have developed Bihar faster,” Congress leader Salman Khursheed told Kumar.

Left parties ready to support Kumar

The comments come in the wake of the Left parties, including the CPI(ML), CPI, and CPM having supported Kumar as the prime ministerial candidate. The CPI has organised a convention of Mahagathbandhan leaders at Purnia on February 25, which would be attended by opposition leaders.

Kumar had also got the support of RJD president Lalu Yadav in the first leg of his anti-BJP campaign, but two former chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Prasad Yadav and Mayawati, did not reciprocate his invitations. There was no word either from National Conference and PDP leaders, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejwashi Prasad Yadav last month met Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and visited Chennai to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin as Kumar’s ambassador.