JD(U) will contest next Assembly polls under Nitish Kumar, says Bihar minister

Patna: Senior JD (U) Minister Narendra Singh on Thursday said former chief minister Nitish Kumar was "undisputed" leader under whom the party would go to the next Assembly polls. Singh`s clarification came a day after saying any leader, including incumbent Jitan Ram Manjhi, can become chief minister if JD(U) returns to power.

"Like after every election, legislators could choose Nitish Kumar or somebody else as their Legislature party leader to become CM then," he told reporters. Singh, known for frankly expressing his views before media which many a times is not in tune with the party line thus triggering controversy, sought to clarify that there was no dispute over leadership of Nitish Kumar. "Any JD(U) leader, including Manjhi can become the Chief Minister if the party wins the next Assembly polls," Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh had said in the Legislative Assembly yesterday. Singh, who is Agriculture Minister and who at one time was seen as replacement of Nitish Kumar after he had resigned, told reporters outside the Legislative Council that one thing is for sure that incumbent Jitan Ram Manjhi would continue as CM till the expiry of the government`s tenure in November next year. When the question of future Chief Minister of the party was raised with Nitish Kumar while he was entering the Legislative Council, he offered no comments. After tendering resignation owning moral responsibility for severe drubbing of JD(U) in the general election, Nitish Kumar had said if people wanted, he would not refuse responsibility to lead the party and government if voted to power in the next year Assembly polls. Congress sought to keep away from the controversy. When reporters asked PCC chief Ashok Choudhary, who is also MLC, about different voices within JD(U) about the future CM, he said it was internal matter of that party. "We are extending issue-based support to JD(U) ministry in Bihar and not its alliance partner and therefore have nothing to do with which minister is saying what about future CM," Choudhary told reporters outside Legislative Council.