Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is being widely projected as the opposition’s top candidate to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, on Tuesday denied that he has any intention to contest the next parliamentary election from Uttar Pradesh`s Phulpur constituency.
“I am shocked. There is no such thing,” the Bihar CM said while adding that his only ambition is to unite opposition parties in the country. The Janata Dal-United leader said that promoting the new generation is his motive, while apparently referring to his deputy and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who was standing just behind him.
“I have no personal ambition to become MP or any other post in the country. My supporters may promote my name but I am looking to contest the election,” Nitish Kumar said.
“The way some people (BJP leaders) are dividing the society through communal agenda of Hindu-Muslim to take advantage in election, I am against it and hence I am working for the unity of maximum opposition parties in the country to get success in 2024 Lok Sabha election and my efforts will continue,” Nitish Kumar said.
“The present government in the centre is dividing the country. They are trying to take control over every organisation including the media. You people better know about it. There is no work in the country done by the Central government. The strong opposition is in the interest of the country to teach lessons to the people working on divisive politics,” he said.
It may be recalled that the Phulpur Parliamentary constituency lies in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and was once represented by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Nitish Kumar has been repeatedly saying that he has no Prime Ministerial ambitions but his party has ben projecting him as opposition’s top choice for the 2024 polls. However, top opposition parties have made it clear that they are far from any such understanding.
During his recent visit to Delhi, Kumar met the opposition leaders, including Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and ending with Arvind Kejriwal.
Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav will reportedly travel to Haryana to participate in a rally which is likely to be attended by several leaders of opposition parties.