Mumbai: In a fresh salvo apparently aimed at alliance partner JD(U), Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday said the BJP would not take it lying down if any of its allies tries to impose its views on the party even as he expressed confidence that NDA will remain intact.
"I would like to tell our alliance partners that nobody has the right to wield veto on us", Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters here before leaving for a function.
His comments came against the backdrop of spat between BJP and JD(U) over projection of the NDA prime ministerial candidate for 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, that virtually brought the alliance partners on the brink of their charting a separate course.
While some sections in the BJP are raising the pitch for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for the top job, his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar has put his foot down for a nominee having strong secular credentials.
"Though they (alliance partners) have the right to express their views, they cannot exercise a veto upon us. Nobody has the right to wield veto in a democracy. We will talk to our alliance partners about their views and will find a way out", he said.
Even as both the parties were on a collision course over the issue of late, the deputy chief minister seemed hinting at a reconciliation.
"Political comments will take place but our alliance partners will stay with us. We want to take forward NDA. We want new people to join the alliance and want those in NDA to stay with us", Sushil Kumar Modi said.
Seeking to dispel the perception that Nitish Kumar might be veering towards Congress, he said "nobody is keen on join Congress. Nobody wants to sail in a ship which has a hole in it. Nobody will commit such a mistake...change will take place in the country`s politics".
PTI
