‘Nitish PM material’: JD(U)’s Upendra Kushwaha says BJP lying about his ‘VP ambition’

New Delhi: TeaHe The Janata Dal (United) is now projecting Nitish Kumar as the prime ministerial face of the opposition in 2024, with its senior leader Upendra Kushwaha saying the Bihar CM has all the capabilities required to lead the country.

While Nitish himself keeping your cards close to your chest Amidst many speculations, Kushwaha – a former Union minister and currently a member of the Legislative Council in Bihar – outlined the chief minister’s prime ministerial prospects in an interview with ThePrint.

There is no doubt that Nitish Kumar has stature. He has vast experience of public service. A new beginning has come, and its message has spread across the country. Nitish g’s The stature is beyond an alliance with RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) or NDA (National Democratic Alliance),” the JD(U) leader told ThePrint in an interview.

“Bihar gave the country its first president, Rajendra Prasad, but he did not get a chance to choose a prime minister. It would be better if Nitish enters national politics, though its planning and deliberations have not happened yet,” Kushwaha said.

After taking oath as the Chief Minister for the eighth time on Wednesday, Nitish took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “He won in 2014, but will he win in 2024,” the JD(U) chief quipped in response to media queries about becoming the prime ministerial candidate.

Like Nitish, Kushwaha rejected BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi’s claim that the JD(U) chief had left the NDA as he was not made the vice-president.

“It is a blatant lie that Nitish was aspiring for the post of Vice-President or President. We can understand their (BJP leaders’) anger as they must be doing. picket (protest) instead of being the party in power. The frustration is understandable,” said Kushwaha, who is Chairman of the JD(U) Parliamentary Board.

Earlier in the day, Nitish had said that it was a “completely bogus” claim that he wanted to become the vice-president. He rubbished BJP’s claim “a joke”,

Kushwaha also denied that there was an understanding between the RJD and Nitish that the latter would move Parliament in 2024 to allow RJD leader and now deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav to rule Bihar.

“There is no such agreement between the two sides. it is Justified That every political party should aim to get the post of CM, but Nitish Kumar is the Chief Minister now. Both the parties will work for the remaining term,” he said. “Nobody knows about the future. It cannot be predicted right now.”


Read also: Nitish in Delhi, Tejashwi as Bihar Chief Minister – RJD’s 2024 plan after JD(U)’s new alliance


‘Dirty trick to harm JD(U)’

Stating that his party was aware of the BJP’s alleged plans to weaken its alliance partner, Kushwaha claimed that there were constant attempts to induce JD(U) leaders to defect.

“They (BJP leaders) approached some MLAs through RCP Singh, but these MLAs alerted our leadership about their (BJP’s) intention. He was the first to use Chirag (Paswan) to damage the prospects of JD(U) during the assembly elections.

The former Union minister claimed that the BJP’s “trick” was evident from Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party – an NDA member – in the decision to field candidates in constituencies where JD(U) candidates are contesting the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls. Were were

“It shows how BJP used dirty tricks to damage JD(U). Everyone knows these facts. They have failed in their new attempt (using RCP Singh), so they are making baseless allegations.”

Kushwaha also refuted the BJP’s claim that Nitish was aiming to dismantle the RJD in the long run, and said his party does not have a “culture of betraying alliance partners”.

“It is not in the nature of JD(U) to weaken or teach a lesson to allies of the alliance… The BJP has developed a tendency to deploy dirty tricks to divide its allies. Everyone knows what he has done in Maharashtra. BJP’s dirty tricks are becoming a threat to democracy.

Asked what would be Nitish’s reaction by central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Tejashwi Yadav and other RJD leaders in alleged corruption cases, Kushwaha said the JD(U) chief has already clarified his position. has given.

“Nitish Kumar has always said that the law will take its course. He has always taken a strong stand against corruption. But it is also a fact that central agencies act only in opposition ruled states. They (ED officials) do not take action against BJP leaders facing corruption charges.

(Edited by Tony Rae)


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