Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Wednesday took a jibe at Nitish Kumar, saying the Bihar Chief Minister was “upset” as he was not named convener of the Opposition coalition – Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A). Modi’s statement came a day after top leaders of 26 parties convened a meeting in Bengaluru to form an alliance in order to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In a statement, the senior BJP leader further said that Kumar was “visibly upset” after returning from Bengaluru as his expectations were not met during the Opposition’s meeting. According to Modi, Kumar intentionally avoided the press conference that was conducted following the meeting because he felt betrayed after not being appointed “sanyojak” (convener) of the Opposition alliance.
Why Nitish Kumar is ‘upset’?
“Nitish Kumar had expected that he would be made the convenor but that decision could not be taken. He had also expected a discussion regarding the candidature of the Prime Minister. There is definitely resentment somewhere, as there were differences regarding the name of the alliance,” Modi said. “I have known Nitish ji for 15 to 20 years… He blackmails, he shows resentment when not given importance…then he resorts to bargaining. The BJP’s door is closed for him forever,” he added.
The former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister also questioned the alliance’s name, asking what purpose is it going to solve. “Will the face change by changing the name? There is the same Lalu Prasad Yadab, same Tejashwi, same Mamata Banerjee, and Arvind Kejriwal, whose two ministers are in jail. Will changing the name make them corruption-free?” Modi asked.
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‘Nitish never liked Rahul Gandhi’
The BJP leader also claimed that resentment is bound to happen as Kumar never liked Rahul Gandhi. Citing sources from the Congress party itself, Modi said that the Bihar Chief Minister was upset about two things. First, his opinion was not considered while naming the alliance, second, he was not made the convenor of the Opposition coalition.
On Tuesday, the representatives of the 26 parties who met for the brainstorming meeting in Bengaluru also decided to set up an 11-member coordination committee, including all the major parties, and a ‘secretariat’ in Delhi for campaign management and for coordinating the working of various sub-committees, which will take up specific issues.