'If Narendra Modi can, why not Nitish Ji': Tejashwi Yadav endorses new ally for PM in 2024

A day after Nitish Kumar said he was not a contender for the prime ministerial post but threw challenge at the BJP on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, his new deputy Tejashwi Yadav endorsed him for the same.

“I leave it to Nitish Kumar (on consensus PM candidate for 2024). What he has done in Bihar, the message has gone to the nation. Fight, don't be scared, the message will work as a booster for the opposition. He has administrative experience. If Narendra Modi can, why not Nitish Ji,” Yadav was quoted by NDTV as saying. 

He also said that the opposition needs to sit to together and make a roadmap, and that people of India want “a face against Narendra  Modi”. 

A day after taking oath as Deputy CM in the new JD(U)-RJD+ government, Yadav said the decision to forge an alliance with Kumar was “spontaneous and on the spot” and that it was not a “pre-planned move to come together”. 

He also charged that Kumar was "uncomfortable" with the BJP and that the same was "visible on his face". The new deputy CM also indicated that the Kumar was wary of the BJP's flexing muscles in the state and was apprehensive that it was trying to break the JD(U). 

After taking oath as the Bihar CM for the eighth time on Wednesday, Kumar dismissed rumours that he may now eye the Prime Ministerial race in the next general election, but asserted the Modi-led NDA government at the Centre does need to "worry" about its prospects in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
  
"They should remember 2014 (when BJP stormed to power at the centre) is past. They need to worry (?chinta karni chahiye') about 2024," Kumar said.

Leaders of the BJP, which is the second largest party in the assembly with 77 MLAs, were conspicuous by their absence at the swearing-in ceremony.

Kumar also rubbished BJP's claim that the new government will not last its full term, and said his former ally "will be back where they were after the 2015 assembly polls" when the NDA could get less than 50 seats in the 243-strong assembly.

He, however, said the BJP should have let its senior leader Sushil Kumar Modi occupy the top post after the 2020 Assembly polls instead of insisting that he run for another term in office. 

Kumar has given in a list of 164 MLAs who support him to the Governor including his party JD(U)'s 46 MLAs (45 party MLAs and 1 Independent), RJD's 79 legislators and Congress's 19. The CPI(ML) which has 12 MLAs, CPI and CPI(M) are giving him support. The HAM party which 4 MLAs has also thrown in its lot with Kumar.