New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi here on Monday for the first time since his reunification with the Mahagathbandhan, of which Congress is a part in Bihar. Both the leader discussed the strategy for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the possibility of bringing like-minded parties together, according to Congress sources. Nitish Kumar reportedly expressed gratitude to Rahul Gandhi for his party`s support to his government in Bihar. The sources told ANI that both the parties will continue their "concrete discussions" in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.


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The Bihar Chief Minister also met former Karnataka CM and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy during his visit to Delhi, amid the buzz that Kumar is attempting to project himself as the prime ministerial candidate in 2024. Clearing the speculation, Nitish Kumar, who has called for Opposition unity and ruled out harbouring prime ministerial aspirations, told media, "If the opposition will get united, then a good atmosphere will be created. I have no desire and no aspiration (to become prime minister)." 


Nitish Kumar's meeting with Opposition leaders comes days after Telangana Chief Minister KCR visited Bihar and held discussions on the political scenario in the country. During KCR`s one-day visit, the Telangana CM avoided giving a direct response to a question about whether Nitish Kumar will run as the opposition`s candidate for Prime Minister.


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While talking to the media during his visit to Bihar, KCR had said that the opposition parties would meet and make that decision when asked whether Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will be the next PM candidate for the opposition alliance. He had also lashed out at the Centre for the "faulty policies" including inflation and said the BJP is insensitive towards the needs of the state.


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K Chandrashekhar Rao said that Nitish Kumar is a big leader and the Centre has not even fulfilled its promise of granting special status to Bihar. Taking a dig at the Centre, KCR reportedly said, "Before the Modi-led BJP government, Rupee never depreciated so much. Why do farmers have to protest for over a year? The country faced losses in every sector due to the failures of the policies implemented by the Centre."


He further criciticised the BJP's mission of eliminating all opposition parties from the political arena and added, "It is a shame that the ruling party says that they will finish all other political parties."


(With ANI Inputs)