Nation

‘Nitish Convener And PM Of…’: JD-U Pushes For Party Chief As I.N.D.I.A’s Choice For Top Post

December 29, 2023
Bharat Times

Amidst seething anger of JD-U at TMC and AAP’s choice for Opposition’s PM face, Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi dubbed Bihar CM the ‘prime minister of ideas’ of the Opposition bloc INDIA- an alliance formed to put up a united front against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls under the umbrella of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance. At a meeting of the party’s national executive in Delhi on Friday afternoon, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was unanimously re-elected as President of the Janata Dal (United). The Bihar Chief Minister was re-appointed just minutes after his assistant Lalan Singh resigned.

Speaking with the media after the meeting, JD(U) leader KC Tyagi said: “(Bihar CM) Nitish Kumar is the convenor and Prime Minister of the ideas of the INDIA alliance. He has given so much priority to the issue of social justice.”

While responding to a media query on Lalan Singh’s resignation as party president, Tyagi states: “We are Janata Dal (United) and we remain united. The BJP was running a propaganda against us but they were unsuccessful in their attempt.”

Speaking about the Caste-based census, Tyagi said: “It is a compulsion for both the BJP and the Congress today that they have to accept caste- based census. This was not possible even 15 years back. If INDIA alliance comes to power, the foremost agenda will be to implement a caste- based census and there are no doubts about it.”

Earlier, Bihar Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary acknowledged Lalan Singh’s resignation stating: “There is a national executive meeting of JD(U) going on. If they accept our proposal, then Nitish Kumar will be the party president. Lalan Singh told CM Nitish Kumar that he will be busy with elections, so he wants to hand over the post of party president to him and Nitish Kumar accepted it.”

Speaking on the subject, Bihar Deputy head Minister Tejashwi Yadav stated that it is a positive thing that CM Nitish has become the party’s head. He said: “If he (Nitish Kumar) has become the president of his party (JD(U)) then it is the decision of their party. He has been the President of JD(U) earlier as well. He is a senior leader of his party so it is a good thing if he has become the President of JD(U)”

Earlier in the day, several JDU members were spotted shouting, “Desh ka Pradhan Mantri kaisa ho?” “Nitish Kumar jaisa ho” was chanted outside Delhi’s Constitution Club, where the national executive meeting was conducted.

The meeting takes place only a few days after the crucial INDIA alliance conference in Delhi. The JDU, which is part of the coalition, will now engage in frantic negotiations with the Congress over the state’s alliance.

Many JDU leaders are urging Nitish to lead the INDIA group, despite the fact that Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal have officially identified Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as a potential PM candidate.

Posters portraying Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with the words ‘Pradesh ne pehchana, ab desh bhi pehchanega’ (The state of Bihar acknowledged him, now the country will) have also been placed at the location of the national executive meeting.

However, when asked about the invitation to the consecration event of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi stated that his party has not yet been invited.

“We have not been invited yet, but if we get the invitation, our party will attend it without any hesitation,” he added.