RJD says Nitish Kumar capable of being Prime Minister, asks him to part ways with BJP and lead opposition

RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is committing a historic blunder by being a part of the BJP-led NDA.

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The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the party of former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav which failed to win even a single seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, seems to be cosying up to former ally and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Speaking to Zee News, senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari said that the Janata Dal United (JDU) leader is committing a historic blunder by being a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

According to Tiwari, Nitish Kumar should part ways with the BJP and lead the opposition. The RJD leader suggested that there is a leadership vacuum in the opposition and the same can be filled by the Bihar Chief Minister.

“I have been observing Nitish Kumar in politics for past 30 years. He has the capability to become the Prime Minister of the country,” said Tiwari.

The RJD leader also used the opportunity to target the coterie around Nitish Kumar, referring to them as agents of the BJP. He added that they want to confine the JDU leader to chief ministership.

Another RJD leader, Shivchandra Ram, had on Tuesday said that Nitish was compelled to oppose the BJP despite being a part of the NDA, citing the JDU’s opposition to triple talaq and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation bills. He said that Nitish Kumar should leave the BJP and join hands with the “poor, Dalit and downtrodden” people.

The Hindustani Awam Morcha, founded by Jitan Ram Manjhi, also advised Nitish to walk out of the NDA, saying the principles on which the JDU leader’s politics is based is different from that of the BJP.

These statements are being considered an open invitation to Nitish Kumar to return to the Mahagathbandhan. Notably, Nitish Kumar had fought the previous Bihar Assembly elections in alliance with the RJD and the Congress, and was even projected as the face of the Mahagathbandhan.