Déjà vu: Nitish Kumar defends Lalu, says 'Mar Jaana Kabool hai par BJP ke saath kabhi nahi jaoonga'

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday defended Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders, including Mr Lalu Yadav and his family members, alleging that they were falsely implicated in corruption cases.

He had snapped ties with the RJD in July 2017 on the corruption issue.

Talking to the media after paying floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Patna's Gandhi Ghat, Mr Kumar pointed at his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, and said, “See what they have done to his father (Lalu) and family. Jhooth mooth ke fansa diya hai (without any fault of theirs, cases have been filed against Lalu and his family).”

The Chief Minister said he would never join hand with the Bharatiya Janata Party as being speculated in the media. “Mar Jaana Kabool hai par unke saath kabhi nahi jaoonga (I shall prefer to die, but never join hands with them).”

Déjà vu

In 2013, while severing ties with BJP and joining hands with RJD, Mr Kumar had made a similar remark vowing never to return to the BJP-fold and better to die.

In July 2017, while snapping ties with RJD and joining hands with BJP, Mr Kumar had said, “I will never compromise on corruption.”

He had asked his then deputy Tejashwi to make public his stand on corruption cases initiated by CBI and ED and come clean. The Lalu family, including RJD President and his wife Rabri Devi, daughters Misa Bharti and Rohini and son Tejashwi are named as accused in the railway jobs for land and flats scam when Mr Lalu Yadav was the Railway Minister. His officer on special duty Bhola Yadav was sent to judicial custody too.

Now, Mr Kumar is defending Mr Yadav and his family. He said his fight against BJP would continue. He claimed that Mahatma Gandhi, who had stayed in Patna for three months on the Ganga bank during communal tension, was killed because he was giving protection to Muslims. He alleged the BJP was following the practice of dividing society on communal lines and rule: I will never join hands with these forces.”

He alleged the BJP Government at the Centre has stopped the Bihar development. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, the Railways expanded its network in Bihar. Mr Kumar was the Railway Minister in the NDA Government.

Mr Kumar reiterated his claim he was not running for the Prime Minister's post. “My only interest is to unite the Opposition against the BJP.”