Rahul lost his goodwill by allying with Lalu: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday launched a no-holds-barred attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying the latter destroyed his goodwill when he aligned with a corrupt party like RJD.

“Rahul was the person who tore Ordinance aimed at reversing a Supreme Court order on disqualification of convicted politicians. Now, by joining hands with Lalu Prasad-led RJD, he has squandered all the goodwill,” said Nitish, soon after his weekly programme ‘Lok Samvad’ (Public Interface) was over here on Monday.

This is arguably for the first time that Nitish has spoken so vociferously against Rahul, the Congress leader whose help he sought to become Bihar Chief Minister in 2015.

Days before Mahagatbandhan, comprising the JD (U), RJD and the Congress, was formed in 2015, Nitish had to rush to Rahul Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi to placate him and pressure another ally Lalu to accept him as chief ministerial candidate for the 2015 Assembly elections in Bihar. It was on unconditional support from Rahul that Nitish was declared a CM candidate after a reluctant Lalu made the famous remark that he was “ready to drink poison.”

Nearly four years after this episode, Nitish was making fun of Rahul when he said, “The man who tore the Ordinance was singing paeans to such (convicted) leaders during his rally in Patna on Sunday.”

“Rahul also promised to make Patna University a central university. He should have done so when UPA was in power,” Nitish continued slamming his former ally.

POLITICAL STUNT

Refusing to be drawn into the West Bengal row, the Bihar chief minister said till poll dates were announced, one would see many such political stunts. “The fact is that no one is really concerned about the country or the Constitution. However, till elections are announced, one would see many such melodramas,” he averred, without naming anyone.

He, however, argued that Centre-Mamata row does not warrant imposition of the President’s rule in the state. “After SC slammed the Centre in 2005 (when Bihar Assembly was dissolved and President’s rule imposed), no one would dare to impose President’s rule where there is a duly-elected government,” the JD (U) strongman argued.