Only giving statements won’t do. The Congress needs to set an alternative agenda, which is the need of the country now: Nitish Kumar
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday that the Congress — being the bigger Opposition party — should stop being reactive and set an alternate narrative, in remarks that show his growing frustration with his alliance partner.
He sought to refute reports of cracks in the alliance, while speaking at a government event where IT was one of the departments listed for discussion. Bihar Congress chief and state IT Minister Ashok Choudhary was, however, missing from the event.
After having snapped ties with the BJP, and walked out of the NDA in 2014, Nitish heads a ruling coalition of his JD (U), the RJD and the Congress in Bihar. But his decisions to back the NDA's Presidential nominee and the Centre's GST launch — boycotted by the Congress, the RJD and other Opposition parties — have led to verbal sniping with his two allies in Bihar.
On Monday, Nitish again said that his was a small party and he was not in the race for the PM's post in 2019, when national elections are due. But political watchers believe that he has been harbouring national ambitions, a move Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has sought to shoot down.
"Congress is the biggest party in the Opposition. It is natural that it should take a lead in uniting other non-BJP parties," Nitish said, a day after he blamed the Grand Old Party for "confusion and disunity" among the Opposition.
He cautioned against "reactionary politics", saying it was not going to help anyone. "Only giving statements won't do. The Congress needs to set an alternative agenda, which is the need of the country right now," he said.
The Presidential polls mess has diverted the attention of the people from important issues like lynching over cow protection and the agrarian crisis facing the farmers, he said.
Sources in the Congress confirm that Nitish made attempts to reach out to the Gandhis to lay the foundation of a national alliance. He was willing to canvas in support of the Congress in Delhi, Punjab and Bihar in 2019 if his party was accommodated in these states. But Congress leaders didn't show any interest, sources add.
Nitish's outbursts are seen as a move to target Rahul. Most Opposition leaders, who seem to have no problem with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, have at times expressed reservations in working with her son Rahul. They also know that the Congress' culture will not allow it to accept anyone except Rahul to lead the Opposition in 2019.
In the past, the Congress has never extended pre-poll support to any non-Congress candidate for prime ministership. The party has, however, pledged post-poll support to a non-Congress leader as PM candidate.
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