New Delhi: Former chief minister of Rajasthan and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Thursday termed Nitish Kumar's move to go back to the NDA fold as a "wrong step" and said the Bihar CM would now be "repenting" it.
“Nitish has taken a wrong step (by going with the BJP). We believe that Nitish must be repenting,” said Gehlot, who is in Patna to attend a meeting of Bihar Congress Committee. Gehlot also visited RJD leader Lalu Prasad at the latter's residence.
Gehlot’s visit comes on the same day that BJP chief Amit Shah is meeting Nitish Kumar to sort out the thorny issue of seat sharing for the next year's Lok Sabha elections amid reports of a rift between the two parties. Nitish Kumar and Amit Shah had breakfast together in the morning and will again meet for dinner.
This is the BJP chief's first visit to the state since the dramatic political realignment of last year when Kumar, the JD(U) national president, walked out of the Grand Alliance, which included the RJD and the Congress, and returned to the NDA.
In his recent address to the JD(U)’s national executive, Kumar spelt out the bottom line. His stand on the three evils, corruption, crime and communalism, remained non-negotiable.
After the defeat in Jokihat bypoll, which was considered an acid test for the chief minister himself, Nitish faces an uphill task to energise and motivate the rank and file of his party.
On the other hand, an upbeat opposition led by firebrand youth leader Tejashwi Yadav has been successful to reach out to masses by impressing upon them that Nitish betrayed 2015 mandate by siding with BJP.
The way Nitish stumped RJD-Congress Mahagathbandhan and political scenario thereafter ensured consolidation of Muslim-Yadav (MY) votes in favour of RJD.
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