Nitish says he isn’t unhappy, has no objection to Kharge’s projection as PM face

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday denied reports of his unhappiness over.

The proceedings of the Opposition India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)’s meeting in New Delhi last week, underling he has no objection to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s projection as the bloc’s prime ministerial candidate.

He insisted both his Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) and INDIA bloc were united and would fight the 2024 national polls together. “I am not at all angry with the outcome of the meeting,” said Kumar in his first comments on the reports.

Speaking on the sidelines of a function to mark late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary, Kumar reiterated he was not interested in any post. “We are all working together. We are not angry. I said make whoever you want…we said this at the meeting. I have suggested early completion of seat sharing. The seat-sharing formula will be decided soon.”

Kumar, who played a key role in INDIA’s formation, questioned the sources of reports about dissension in JD(U). “Our party is united. We will fight unitedly,” he said amid reports of a possible organisational revamp in the JD(U).

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is believed to have talked to the Bihar chief minister following reports about Kumar’s unhappiness. The Congress blamed a section of the media for a campaign to fan unnecessary confusion within the INDIA bloc.

Lalu Prasad Yadav, whose Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is Kumar’s key ally in Bihar, on Thursday last dismissed speculative reports about Kumar’s unhappiness with the outcome of the meeting. He added both of them were happy with the INDIA developments.

West Bengal chief minister proposed Kharge as the grouping’s prime ministerial candidate, or convener, at the INDIA bloc meeting on Tuesday last. Her Delhi counterpart, Arvind Kejriwal, and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray backed the move.

Kumar and Yadav left the meeting soon after. He later convened a meeting of his party’s national council on December 29, triggering speculation over his unhappiness.

The speculation was fuelled as JD(U) leaders pitched Kumar as a possible prime ministerial candidate. Some of the party leaders expressed unease over the floating of Kharge’s name.

JD(U) lawmaker Gopal Mandal claimed that no one knows Kharge and said the public will not accept him while referring to him as “Kharge-Farge”. Congress leader Ajeet Kumar urged Kumar to act against Mandal.

On Friday, Bihar minister and JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha said the party would support any name put forth as the Prime Ministerial face. He added they need to wait for the Congress’s opinion over Kharge’s candidature and that seat-sharing talks will be finished by January-end.