PATNA: Reacting to state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Samrat Choudhary’s remarks that chief minister Nitish Kumar and JD-U would be reduced to ashes in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Kumar on Sunday said leaders of the saffron party have become “brainless”.
Kumar also said that his efforts to unite the Opposition have advanced and soon he would meet many other leaders opposed to the BJP to form a larger opposition front ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls.
“They (BJP) are brainless (Buddhihin) people. Tell him (Samrat Choudhary) to do what he said. I have never used such words in my entire political career. No sensible politicians use such words. I have also worked with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, I have a lot of respect for him”, the CM said while interacting with the media after attending a state function to mark Vijay Utsav of Veer Kunwar Singh, the legendary king of Jagdishpur who fought valiantly against the British and played a leading role in 1857 rebellion in Bihar.
The state BJP chief at a function in Patna on Saturday had reportedly said Kumar will be turned to dust (‘mitti mein mila denge’) in the next general elections for his “betrayal”. He had also accused the JD(U) strongman of “backstabbing” the BJP and joining hands with RJD chief Lalu Prasad to “pursue’ his prime ministerial ambitions.
Nitish had snapped ties with the BJP in August 2022 and formed the ‘Mahagathbandhan or Grand Alliance(GA)’ government with RJD, Congress, and other parties. After joining the GA, Kumar had vowed that he would work relentlessly to unite the opposition parties to defeat the BJP-led NDA government in the 2024 parliamentary polls.
Referring to the efforts to form a larger opposition front, Kumar said talks have been held with various leaders and parties to join the proposed alliance and he would meet a few more leaders in the coming days. “I am not keen on any post. My only objective is that a larger opposition front is formed so that we can save our country,” he said.
When asked about his plans to meet West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Kumar said, “Whenever I meet her, I will inform you. Once we give shape to the proposed larger opposition front, we will share all details,” he said.
