Key Takeaways
- Congress supports Lalu’s invitation to Nitish Kumar to join the Grand Alliance, citing their shared Gandhian thoughts.
- Nitish Kumar has a history of political U-turns, deserting the BJP in 2013 and 2022.
- The Grand Alliance is a coalition of political parties in Bihar, led by RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Patna: Congress on Thursday supported RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav for his invitation to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to join the Grand Alliance again deserting the BJP.
Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan fully supported Lalu’s invitation to Nitish Kumar to join the Grand Alliance again, saying it was the need of the hour for all those of Gandhian thoughts to unite. It was the need of the hour for all those of Gandhian thoughts to unite to safeguard the constitution and democratic spirit of the country, he added.
” I strongly believe that Chief Minister Kumar is a man of Gandhian thoughts and he should immediately desert BJP having the ideology of Godse”, Khan said adding that Kumar had always kept principles of Mahatma Gandhi in his mind and called for imbibing the same from time to time. It was natural for all those having Gandhian thoughts to come on one platform, he stated.
Congress leader refused to a query about the reluctance of RJD leader Tejaswi Prasad Yadav in accepting Nitish in Grand Alliance again, saying he had nothing to say on the issue as it could be best responded to by Tejashwi himself. So far the stand of his party was concerned, it totally supported the views expressed by Lalu, he maintained.
Nitish had deserted the BJP in 2013 when Narendra Modi was projected as the PM candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He had formed the Grand Alliance with RJD as its major partner in 2015 but parted ways in 2017 to join hands with the BJP to form the NDA government. In August 2022, he again deserted the BJP to join hands with RJD to form a Grand Alliance government. In January 2024, making another political ” U ” turn Nitish had returned to NDA.
