Once being ratified as the national president of the JD(U) by the national council of the party at Rajgir, Nitish Kumar took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government led by him as well as some regional leaders for their “villainous” attitude towards the unity among the regional parties. At the open session of the national council on last day, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has almost been projected as the most credible face to take on Modi in 2019, spoke on all the major issues from the national security to common civil code to formation of a front to challenge the BJP led NDA in the coming Assemblies elections as well as the 2019 general election.
The party although did not made any formal resolution projecting Nitish as the national face, the party rank and file lost no time soon after his election as the national president in the projection while the party authorized him to travel across the country and tour the poll bound States to explore possibilities of the formation of local alliances for defeating BJP and its allies.
The party representatives from Jammu & Kashmir even posed confidence in Nitish saying only he could solve this tangible issue through his insight and secular outlook. They said semblance of peace and harmony had been restored in the valley but everything was destroyed by the "opportunist" coalition ruling the troubled State. Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha president Babulal Marandi, who was special invitee at the JD(U) meet said Nitish did a lot for Bihar. "Now the country needs Nitish," he added.
In his speech referred to Prime Minister's Sunday speech at BRICS and said he would extend all cooperation to him if he takes any action against the terrorism and its nursery. But he said the Centre has unnecessarily raked up issue of common civil code and triple talaq. He said the talaq issue should be left to the Muslim community and no authority should interfere in their personal laws.
Nitish also had dig at Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and recalled that he had crowned him giving entire4 responsibility for the reorgansition of Samajwadi Parivar giving him all freedom and authority but he backed out and everybody knew what he did in Bihar. He also attacked Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das and said the Government in the neighbouring State was being run from Delhi with Das just as a pawn.
JD(U) representatives of 20 States attended the two day national council meeting and all of them were in favour of Nitish being projected as the PM face. However, the outgoing president of JD(U) Sharad Yadav when asked if her treated Nitish as the PM material he kept mum despite repeated queries.
On the other hand four State presidents of JD(U) who have since been suspended from party opposed elevation of Nitish as national president and petitioned the Election Commission for declaring his election as null and void. They also held dharna with their supporters in Delhi opposing Nitish Kumar.