New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday denied reports that he was 'upset' with the Opposition meeting held in Bengaluru for not being made the convenor of the newly formed alliance. His response came a day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sushil Modi claimed that the JD(U) leader returned to Patna without attending the press meet after the meeting as he was 'upset' over not being made the convenor of the Opposition's new alliance - Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
"The meeting was very fruitful and we all are very happy with the outcome. I could not attend the press conference after the conclave as I had to come back to Patna. My effort is to unite all opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and now things are taking shape," Nitish Kumar told the reporters.
"We are working to unify all non-BJP parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The Patna opposition meet was attended by 16 parties and there were 26 parties in Bengaluru. Our numbers are increasing and the unity of the opposition parties is getting strengthened," he added.
He also took a dig at Sushil Modi and asked 'who takes him seriously'.
Besides Kumar, those not present at the press conference included RJD president Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav, the current Deputy CM of Bihar, both of whom travelled with the chief minister.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sushil Kumar Modi issued a statement and claimed that Kumar deliberately skipped the press conference held after the meeting since he felt slighted over not having been made 'sanyojak' (convener) of the new alliance.
He also likened Kumar's early return from Bengaluru to the action of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the last month's Opposition meeting in Patna. The AAP delegation had skipped the press conference after the meet in Patna, and soon afterward, came out with a statement lashing out at the Congress for not assuring support on the ordinance issue.
Meanwhile, 26 opposition parties on Tuesday set the tone for their 2024 Lok Sabha campaign and formed the coalition -- INDIA -- to unitedly take on the ruling NDA.
