Congress says all is well in Bihar alliance

"Our coalition is strong, stable and still there and everybody stands by each other," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi.

New Delhi: The Congress sought to mend fences in Bihar today, saying that its grand alliance in the state was "strong and intact" and that the partners stood by each other.

Spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi also played down Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's remarks in which he had blamed the Congress for the "ongoing mess" in the opposition and for not forming an alliance in Uttar Pradesh and Assam.

He said the issues that arose between the Congress and Nitish Kumar's JD-U were restricted to the choice of a presidential candidate, which, he added, was now a closed chapter.

"Whatever had to happen has happened, as far as that (presidential election) is concerned. It has absolutely no effect on our relationship as far as the JD-U and Congress and other parties are concerned in Bihar," he said, adding that Nitish Kumar had also said so.

"Our coalition is strong, stable and still there and everybody stands by each other," he told reporters.

There was speculation about a rift in the state government a coalition of the JD(U), RJD and the Congress after Nitish Kumar decided to support the NDA presidential candidate instead of the opposition's nominee from the Congress.

Singhvi, however, said questions that arose on the alliance related merely to the presidential poll.

"That now is a chapter which is over," he said.

Singhvi said on the question of presidential candidates, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had said a few days ago that these decisions were taken "entirely" by individual parties.

"The decision is that party's alone and there is complete autonomy in such decision-making, unless the parties chose to agree with each other," he quoted Gandhi as saying.

Kumar in Patna also dismissed reports about becoming the opposition's prime ministerial candidate and stressed the need for "alternative narratives" against the NDA.

The JD(U) president, who asked the opposition to move beyond "reactive narratives", also dispelled fears about fissures in Bihar's coalition government and said it would fulfil its commitment to the people in time by providing them with "good governance".

Dismissing reports that he could be pitched as a prime ministerial candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, Kumar said, "We are a small party and very well know the futility of nourishing prime ministerial ambitions."

He added, "It is seen that the candidate whose name is in circulation never gets to the post."

More than focusing on a face, the opposition should have "alternative narratives" against the ruling party at the Centre on key issues such as farmers' problems, he told reporters.