4 min readPatnaJan 20, 2023 07:11 AM IST
First published on: Jan 20, 2023 at 07:10 AM IST
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said he had “no idea” about the mega rally called by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Khammam, Telangana, which was attended by chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states on Wednesday, and said he would not have been able to attend the event even if he were invited as he was busy with his ongoing ‘Samadhan Yatra’ across the state.
Talking to mediapersons, he reiterated that he had no “personal desire” to become the Prime Minister but wanted a “bigger Opposition unity”.
“I have no knowledge about it (BRS rally). It may have been a party meeting or party rally and he (BRS chief and Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao) may have invited some people. There is not much to read into it. I have no personal desire (to become the PM). What I want is Opposition unity. I would not have been to able to attend the event because I have been busy with the yatra here.”
Asked about divergent strategies of the Opposition parties, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra and other parties going in different directions, the CM said: “I have no issues with any of them (parties). Let this yatra and the Budget Session (of the Assembly which will commence next month)
conclude, I will be free to visit anywhere and even some of the places the media suggests.”
He, however, hinted that doors were still open for an alignment with the Telangana chief minister, who has renamed his Telangana Rashtra Samithi as BRS in what is being seen as an indication of his national ambitions.
“Did he not come here recently,” said Nitish, referring to the Patna visit by Rao, popularly known as KCR, shortly after the BJP was stripped of power and the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ formed a new government.
He also seemed to disagree with the notion that the meeting at Khammam, which was attended by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, was a dampener for what he has termed the “main front” that would challenge the BJP’s hegemony in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“It appears to me the meeting was held as part of a party (BRS) event. Those invited there attended. This should not be seen as a new grouping,” asserted Nitish.
Asked about the BRS event, Janata Dal (United) national spokesperson K C Tyagi told The Indian Express: “At present, there are three streams of Opposition, one led by Rahul Gandhi through his Bharat Jodo Yatra, another led by non-Congress and non-BJP parties in which there are leaders like Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. Mission Nitish 2024 represents the third stream.”
Explaining the JD(U) strategy, Tyagi said, “Nitish is the only leader in the Opposition camp who has good rapport with almost all top Opposition leaders. Right now, it is a phase of individual posturing by leaders such as KCR and Mamata. But once time progresses, all Opposition parties will have to unite and this is where Nitish will play a crucial role.”
With PTI inputs
Nitish Kumar reiterated that he had no “personal desire” to become the Prime Minister but wanted a “bigger Opposition unity”. (Express photo by Anil Sharma) 
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