After Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar Meets Akhilesh Yadav, Says 'Working For India's Good'

After meeting his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said work is on to bring together as many parties as possible to remove the BJP from power.

New Delhi: Hours after meeting his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and said work is on to bring together as many parties as possible to remove the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in the 2024 general elections. Speaking to reporters after his meeting, the Janata Dal (United) leader reiterated that no welfare work is being done by the present dispensation which is only relying on publicity. 

Asked if any decision has been taken on who will lead the joint front, Nitish Kumar said, "No, once the unity takes place, the leader will be decided. And whosoever becomes the leader will work in the interest of the country.

Nitish, who was accompanied by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav, also said that he doesn't want to be the leader.

"And, one thing I would like to tell you about myself. I don't want to be (the leader). Know this very well that I am uniting everyone. I don't want anything for myself. I will work in the interest of the country. There will be other people as well, and we will sit and decide," he told reporters.

He also alleged that efforts are being made to change the history of the country.

Akhilesh Yadav, the former Uttar Pradesh CM, backed Nitish's views and alleged that due to the 'wrong economic policies' of the BJP, the poor are suffering and price rise and unemployment are 'at an all-time high'.

"The BJP should be removed and the country be saved, and we are with you in this campaign," the SP chief told Nitish.

संयुक्त प्रेस वार्ता - श्री अखिलेश यादव जी राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष - समाजवादी पार्टी, श्री नीतीश कुमार जी - मुख्यमंत्री, बिहार, श्री तेजस्वी यादव जी - उपमुख्यमंत्री, बिहार https://t.co/ln6WJZU7X3 — Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) April 24, 2023

"A meeting against the conspiracy by the BJP to end democracy, constitution and reservation," he said in a tweet and shared pictures with Nitish.

भाजपा द्वारा लोकतंत्र, संविधान व आरक्षण को ख़त्म करने की साज़िश और षड्यंत्र के खिलाफ एक मुलाक़ात। pic.twitter.com/y5YFs1eLgC — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) April 24, 2023

Earlier this month, in a bid to unite the opposition parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Nitish Kumar met Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. He had also held a meeting with Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal and left party leaders D Raja and Sitaram Yechury to discuss opposition unity.

Analysts believe that the Bihar CM has started gearing up as a catalyst for unity moves since that meeting in a bid to reconcile differing views. 

Meanwhile, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said that she has asked Nitish to set up a meeting of all opposition parties in his home state to 'prepare together' for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.

"I have made just one request to Nitish Kumar. Jayaprakash Ji's movement started from Bihar (socialist leader Jayprakash Narayan, popularly called JP, launched his 'Total Revolution' movement against misrule and corruption in 1974 from Patna). If we have an all-party meeting in Bihar, we can then decide where we have to go next," Mamata said after her meeting with Nitish.

She added that she wants the BJP to be reduced to zero. 

Banerjee came out of the meeting, stating, "We have to give the message that we are all together."

It is notable that she has also held similar meetings with Akhilesh Yadav and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik last month. The TMC chieftain recently also met former Karnataka CM and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy.

Last week, she had telephoned Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and proposed that there be a meeting of all the opposition parties.