The Grand Secular Alliance in Bihar has started drawing battle lines for 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Though it is too early but RJD chief Lalu Yadav has started supporting Nitish Kumar’s dream to become the next prime ministererial candidate of the combined secular and socialist forces.
Speaking on the issue, the RJD chief, who had kept himself away from making any direct comment on the ongoing efforts by JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar to rope in like-minded secular forces against the BJP and the RSS on one platform, on Tuesday said, “I will support Nitish Kumar as the PM candidate and there is no doubt about it.”
According to observers, Mr Lalu Yadav’s statement was part of his well-calculated strategy not only to smoke out Nitish Kumar’s rivals from within and outside the Alliance but also to create an atmosphere for the acceptability of Nitish Kumar’s candidature among secular and socialist forces.
The RJD chief also strongly advocated Nitish Kumar’s “Sangh mukt” statement saying, “It is necessary for secular forces to unite on one platform”.
However, the Congress party which is also an important partner of the Mahagathbandhan, may not like the idea to elevate Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar as the next PM candidate as they see Rahul Gandhi in the role and firmly believe that “he could pose a greater challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi blamed Nitish Kumar’s political ambition for the “collapse of governance in Bihar”. Taking a dig at the Bihar CM, he said, “If his interest lies only in national politics he must quit and hand over the post of chief minister to either Tejaswi Yadav or Tej Pratap Yadav”.
He also attacked Nitish Kumar for his “Sangh mukt” comment saying that “Nitish Kumar chose sangh as the ladder to achieve his political goal and now he is talking about making India ‘Sangh mukt’”.
