Deeply aggrieved by way Nitish Kumar mentioned in Sonia Gandhi's book JD U

New Delhi, Nov 11 (PTI) The Janata Dal (United) on Wednesday expressed resentment over the portrayal of its president and former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's memoir, asserting that he was the main architect of the opposition INDIA bloc.

    JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad alleged that Gandhi has presented the entire episode in her book as part of a particular strategy to mislead people.

    "The JD(U) is deeply aggrieved by the way Nitish Kumar has been mentioned in Sonia Gandhi's book in the context of the INDIA bloc. We believe that Nitish Kumar is the architect and driving force behind the INDIA bloc, which is currently being led by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi," he said in a video statement.

    In her memoir "Belonging: A Journey of Love", Gandhi has written that Kumar was looking for an opportunity to exit the INDIA bloc and was under the BJP's influence. She also refers to his return to the NDA in early 2024.

    Prasad claimed that most regional parties were initially reluctant to include the Congress in the opposition alliance and Kumar had persuaded them to come together with the grand old party.

    "The first meeting of the alliance in Patna was subsequently successful," he said.

    Prasad said Kumar eventually realised that the INDIA bloc would not work due to the ambitions and regional political interests of the Congress and its allies, as well as their inability to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

    "The role of the Congress and its allies, their ambitions and regional political interests made it clear that they did not have the capacity to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). That is why Nitish Kumar left the INDIA bloc," he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)