PATNA: The BJP appears to be in no mood to spare Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his ‘betrayal’ and his decision to break ties with the NDA and join hands with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD. Union Minister and senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh has once again attacked the Janata Dal-United leader for secretly harbouring the ambition of becoming the Prime Minister of the country.
Amid renewed talks by several JDU leaders positioning Kumar as a strong candidate for the PM’s post in the 2024 general elections, Singh that “Nitish Kumar is not capable of even becoming the CM on his own and thinks of becoming the PM.”
Singh, who is a well-known critic of Nitish Kumar, said, “Nitish Kumar must be the only chief minister who has been sworn in eight times but never heading a government of his own party. He always needs allies whom he uses like a crutch.”
“Last time, when he left the Mahagathbandhan and came into the NDA, we had the option of either going for a poll or giving support to him. We had chosen the latter. This time, he is wanting to become a PM candidate like he was projected as the PM candidate in 2010. Hence, the leaders of his party and RJD are projecting him as the PM candidate of the opposition,” he added.
Singh, who represents Bihar’s Begusarai seat in the Lok Sabha, made these remarks while speaking to reporters in the Gopalganj district. He also reminded Kumar of unflattering remarks of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad in the past while referring to the JD(U) leader’s change in loyalties.
Giriraj Singh`s comments came after Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav claimed that Nitish Kumar could be a strong PM candidate for the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, as he has all the abilities a PM candidate needs and his political and personal image is very clean.
In response, JDU national President Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh said, “We have already made it clear that Nitish Kumar is not a PM candidate. He has all the abilities of a Prime Ministerial candidate but he is not in the race. I am saying what Tejashwi had said. He has all the abilities but as a national president of the party, I again say that Nitish Kumar is not a PM candidate. The Chief Minister has also made it clear that he is not a PM candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha election.”