Will rather die than join hands with BJP again: Nitish Kumar

On BJP’s “not aligning with him again” resolution, Nitish said: “We are the ones who deserted them. One can see election results from February 2005 onwards… we bagged more seats than them (BJP). I was a part of BJP of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and had come out of it in 2013. It was a mistake to go back to them in 2017. They (BJP) falsely implicated Lalu Prasad. In 2020 polls, they engaged in foul play to reduce the number of our seats. I was not interested in becoming the CM but they insisted, but got restive soon.”

Nitish said the BJP was now getting restless because of Grand Alliance’s success and the saffron party can look for ways to foment communal tension. “As for us, there is no question of going back. I would prefer to die than going back to them. Now that we are doing well, they are trying to find ways to disturb us. In fact, they are growing restive,” he said.

On BJP claiming that it will win 36 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats, Nitish said: “Thirty-six? They will get nothing. Where will they win from? They are saying all this out of sheer desperation.”

It is the second time that Nitish had spoken so tersely about not aligning with the BJP. After the June 2013 split of the NDA, he had given a call for Sangh-mukt Bharat (RSS-free India) and said: “Mitti mein mil jayenge lekin BJP ke saath wapas nahin jayenge (I would prefer losing my existence than aligning with the BJP).”

The BJP and JD(U) have been launching blistering attacks on each other ever since Nitish deserted the NDA last year to form the Grand Alliance government in Bihar with the help of Rashtriya Janata Dal and other constituents. The BJP initially engaged itself in giving out signals to Nitish for a patch-up but when that did not work out, it went on an offensive against him. Nitish, in turn, has been countering the saffron party in equal measure.