JOIN USPutting an end to speculation, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday declared that the JD(U) will continue to be a coalition partner of the BJP in the state and also sent out a strong message against politics of communalism.
Kumar also appeared to put the BJP on notice on the issue of seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections saying it will take a decision only when it was presented with a proposal by the BJP in this regard.
“We are in the NDA and will fight the 2019 elections with the NDA,” JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi told reporters after the meeting of the JD(U) National Executive here.
Tyagi said the party also authorised Kumar to take decisions on political issues, including allocation of seats.
To a volley of questions on the fate of the JD(U)'s alliance with the BJP amid attacks from the saffron party's leaders against the state government, Tyagi said the JD(U) was proud of its ideology and will never dilute it.
“We have not merged with the BJP. Both have different ideologies. We have not diluted our commitment to socialism and will never dilute it,” he said.
On the Congress' offer to rejoin the grand alliance in Bihar, Tyagi said there can be no talks with the Congress till it took a stand against the corrupt RJD.
“The lack of initiative against Tejaswi Yadav by Rahul Gandhi resulted in the break-up of grand alliance. Till the time the Congress doesn’t stand against corrupt RJD, there can be no talks,” Tyagi said amid reports that Kumar was feeling uneasy within the NDA and had reached out to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad to make comeback.
However, the JD(U) was snubbed by RJD leader and former deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav.
Addressing the National Executive, Kumar took a strong line against communal politics saying such things will not be tolerated.
“There will be no compromise on crime, corruption and communalism,” Kumar said and underscored that the rule of the law will prevail in Bihar. “The forces dividing the nation are not bigger than law,” Tyagi said quoting the chief minister.
Tyagi hit out at Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Jayant Sinha and condemned their meetings with those accused of rioting and lynching.
“We do not think what they have done is good. We condemn it,” Tyagi said.