‘No vacancy for PM in 2024’: BJP takes a swipe as Nitish Kumar embarks on mission to unite Opposition

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should know that there is no vacancy for the post of Prime Minister in 2024, Union minister Giriraj Singh said on Thursday. The BJP leader’s swipe at the JD(U) supremo came in reference to the latter’s meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and his party colleague Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on Wednesday.

“Everyone wants to become the Prime Minister. Nitish Kumar is strong in that. That’s why he is pleasing Malikarjun Kharge and got an appointment with Rahul Gandhi. Nitish Kumar should know that the Prime Minister post for 2024 is not vacant. He should know that his political decline is imminent,” Singh said while speaking to reporters today.

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The remarks came a day after Nitish and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav called on Kharge and Rahul at the party president’s 10, Rajaji Marg residence on Wednesday where the leaders decided to unite Opposition parties to take on the Narendra Modi-led BJP.

“A historic step has been taken to unite Opposition parties. It is a process and we will develop the Opposition’s vision for the country and all such parties who come with us, we will take them along in this ongoing ideological battle,” Rahul said addressing the media after meeting Nitish Kumar.

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Nitish, who arrived in Delhi on Tuesday on the invitation of Kharge, is scheduled to meet a slew of Opposition leaders including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and top Left leaders.

Nitish is believed to have been tasked with the responsibility to reach out to and mend fences with regional parties which do not share a good rapport with the Congress. Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee is on top of that list, followed by Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led by K Chandrasekhar Rao and Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party.

The blueprint that Nitish seems to be working on will also include reaching out to fence-sitters like Naveen Patnaik of the Biju Janata Dal and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of the YSRCP and convince them to be part of the anti-Modi bloc.