Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday stressed on his opposition to corruption as well as communalism, and asserted that those thinking of marginalising his party in the state would stand marginalised.
Amid speculation over his future move and a strain in his ties with the BJP, Kumar, during the party’s national executive meeting, barely touched on the contentious issue of sharing of the 40 lok Sabha seats in Bihar among NDA parties, saying the BJP is yet to make a proposal.
Only when the BJP makes a proposal, the JD(U) can decide if it is in the party’s interest, Kumar said, according to JD(U) secretary general K C Tyagi.
Tyagi also sought to scotch speculation that his party wanted to revive its alliance with the lalu Prasad-led RJD, calling it “corrupt”.
He said his party is in the NDA and will fight the 2019 elections together with its allies.
The party has also authorised Kumar to take decisions on political issues, including allocation of seats.
JD(U) sources said that Kumar, in his speech, asserted that his party cannot be marginalised in Bihar and those thinking about it will be marginalised.
Kumar asserted that he has always been against corruption, crime and communalism.
The remarks appeared to be aimed at those, including his rivals and some within the BJP, who have claimed that the Bihar chief minister’s political stock has gone down due to his flip-flops on alliances and that he no longer has the same influence.
Following the speech of Kumar, who has often expressed reservation against Hindutva politics of some BJP leaders in Bihar, the JD(U) hit out at Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Jayant Sinha.
While Singh met some persons accused of rioting and claimed that the state government was suppressing Hindus, Sinha had garlanded people convicted of lynching a man in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district.