India needs Bihar-like ‘Mahagathbandhan’, says Nitish Kumar

According to a PTI report NItish Kumar said, “The BJP’s victory in Uttar Pradesh was mainly because of lack of a Bihar-like ‘mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance) there … If you add the vote percentage of the Samajwadi Party, the Congress and the BSP, it is 10 per cent more than the votes polled by the BJP.”

He added, “A Bihar-like grand alliance is the solution to check the surge of the BJP and for this, the Congress and the Left parties should take the initiative. A ‘mahagathbandhan’ like this at the national level will be ‘maha safal’ (a grand success). Being a bigger party, it is the Congress’ responsibility to take the initiative of bringing all major non-BJP parties on one platform. I had talks with some Left leaders in this connection and I wish they take an initiative to this effect to throw the BJP-led NDA out of power in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls,” he said after his weekly ‘Lok Samvad’ (public interaction) programme.”

He urged the non-BJP parties to set their own agenda instead of reacting to the agenda set by those in power in New Delhi. Nitish Kumar added that there were no dearth of leaders or faces for the post of Prime Minister.