A day after the Janata Dal United (JDU) national executive declared that the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would continue, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday clarified that the parties will work together only inside the state.
Addressing mediapersons on Monday, the Chief Minister said, “We (JDU and BJP) are working together in Bihar but when it comes to outside Bihar there are no discussions like that. There has not been an alliance like that at the national level.”
When asked about the possibility of the JDU going along with the Mahagathbandhan, comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, Nitish Kumar said that “it isn’t possible to get together with some other party at some other place”.
“As far as our political relations with BJP is concerned, it isn't possible to get together with some other party at some other place, leaving them behind. When you run a political party, you need to keep in mind sentiments of those attached to your party,” said the Bihar Chief Minister.
On Sunday, the JDU had after its national executive declared that it would remain a part of the National Democratic Alliance and continue the alliance with the BJP. Apart from this, other issues such as 2019 Lok Sabha elections and 2020 Bihar Assembly elections.
Reports had also said that the JDU had decided to contest on 17 seats during the upcoming general elections, leaving the rest from BJP and other NDA partners.
This comes amid repeated attacks on Nitish Kumar by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav over reports of differences between the JDU and the BJP.
On several occasions, the Yadav scion has said that the doors of Mahagathbandhan are closed for Nitish. Accusing the Chief Minister of ditching the Mahagathbandhan and people of Bihar by joining hands with the BJP, Tejashwi has said that Nitish Kumar “cannot be trusted”.
