Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has been making efforts to bring together the opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has asserted that he has not prime ministerial ambitions. Nitish made his stand clear on Monday after meeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.
The two leaders met at Rahul's Tughlaq Road residence and are learnt to have discussed the current political situation in the country and ways to ensure the opposition unity.
"There is a concerted effort to weaken regional parties. My effort is to unite the Opposition ahead of the General Elections. I have no intention of pitching myself as a prime ministerial candidate," Nitish told reporters after the meeting.
The JD(U) supremo was seen as a formidable contender to the PM post after he snapped his ties with the National Democratic Alliance and joined the RJD-Congress alliance in Bihar.
The meeting between Nitish and Rahul lasted almost an hour. Nitish was accompanied by Bihar Water Resources Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha.
The chief minister is likely to meet several opposition leaders in the national capital including NCP's Sharad Pawar, AAP's Arvind Kejriwal, CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala on Tuesday.
Before leaving for Delhi, Nitish had addressed the national executive meeting of the JD(U) in Patna, where he asserted that the opposition parties will unite for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The meeting passed a resolution which alleged there is an "undeclared emergency" in the country under the BJP government which is "trying to silence" opposition voices by "misusing" probe agencies.
During the meeting, banners put up at the JD(U) office bore slogans that sent across the message loud and clear that the party expected its de facto leader to play a "national role".