A day after he skipped the Opposition’s luncheon meeting organised by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “discuss issues related to his State” and refuted reports about his cosying upto the BJP in view of his ally RJD’s chief lalu Prasad and his family getting embroiled in alleged cases of corruption.
Nitish was invited by Modi to attend the lunch hosted in honour of the visiting Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth. Nitish, however, chose to meet Modi separately in what he said was to take up issues like silt in Ganga due to which there is a danger of floods.
Nitish dismissed suggestion of old NDA allies BJP and JD(U) getting closer yet again and said that “too much was being read into” the meeting between him and the PM which was just an usual interaction between the PM and a CM.
Dismissing any talks of a political realignment, Nitish said, “When a CM meets the PM you all do political analysis. This meeting was in honor of Mauritius PM and it is my duty to meet the PM to highlight problems of the State.”
The Bihar Chief Minister turning down Sonia Gandhi’s lunch invitation — envisaged as a show of Opposition unity on the day when Modi Government celebrated third anniversary — had raised eyebrows in the political circles.
Nitish said the Opposition is united when it comes to the presidential election. “We have an alliance with the RJD and the Congress and we are running the Government,” he said.
“I did not meet him in the capacity of the JD(U) chief but as the State Chief Minister. It was not a political meeting. Why is the media reading too much into itIJ” said Nitish in an interaction with the media at Bihar Bhawan.
Nitish also said that he had met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi last month and it was already decided that former JD (U) chief Sharad Yadav will attend the lunch hosted by her.
He also did not take questions from journalists about allegations of corruption against his ally — RJD chief lalu Prasad — and his family members. There are allegations and counter allegations, he said, claiming that he responded only to “facts.”
“Bihar has an emotional connect with Mauritius as half of the population there is of Bihari origin. The PM had invited me for the luncheon as the State CM and I decided to accept it,” he said.
The Chief Minister said he also impressed upon the Prime Minister the need for desilting the Ganga in Bihar and requested him to send a team of experts to the State before June 10. The rise in the level of riverbed causes flood in vast areas during monsoon, while large parts of it become dry during summer as it cannot hold much water.