Rahul to be party chief: Nitish extends good wishes

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday extended his good wishes to Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on the move to elevate Rahul as the party chief.

“The proposal to make Rahul ji as Congress president was in the pipeline even when we were together (in the Grand Alliance). It’s a good sign that this is going to be formalised now. Meri shubh-kamna hai unko (I extend my good wishes to him),” Nitish said.

“There is no leader, other than Rahul, who could become the Congress president. In fact, of late, he has been officiating as the party chief,” Nitish added.

The Bihar chief minister, who despite dumping the Grand Alliance, has refrained from speaking against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. However, he added that it’s the voters who will decide the prime minister in 2019.

His assertion comes close on the heels of the JD(U) leader praising Narendra Modi last week saying he had always “lead from the front”.

The “good wishes to Rahul” comes at a time when Nitish’s close aide and former Rajya Sabha member Pawan Verma questioned the Election Commission for not announcing poll dates for Gujarat and wondered whether the move was aimed to help the saffron camp.

This is the first time since Nitish formed his government with the support of the BJP that the JD(U) has struck a discordant note and raised an issue (the EC dithering on Gujarat dates) which the Congress-led Opposition had been raising.

“Nitish’s soft corner for Rahul is understandable as it was Rahul who had proposed that Nitish be the chief minister face in 2015 Bihar Assembly elections,” said a ruling camp source after eyebrows were raised in the political circles here.

However, RJD chief Lalu Prasad pooh-poohed such overtures.

“Even if Nitish reapplies to be with us again, we will not take him back into our fold, as we don’t have any place for traitors,” averred Lalu.

Nitish, however, refused to join the issue with Lalu.

“I don’t have time to join issues with those who once said ‘Yeh IT-YT kya hota hai’ and now himself remains engrossed with Twitter,” the JD(U) strongman said.