Nitish says no post-poll tieup with Cong
Ruling out possibility of any post-poll alliance with Congress in the state, senior JD(U) leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said he has good “working relationship” with the BJP despite ideological differences.
Claiming that he was a product of the anti-Emergency movement led by Jai Prakash Narayan, the chief minister was of the view that it was always better to be with the BJP than the Congress.
Responding to a query during an interview with a TV channel whether he is looking for an opportunity to sever ties with the BJP because of ideological incompatibility and go with Congress, Mr Kumar said, “This proposition does not even come in my line of thinking. You must know that I am a product of JP movement against imposition of the Emergency in the country.”
Candidly accepting that the ideologies of the two parties (JDU and BJP) in the alliance are so different that there can not be “similarity on many issues”, Mr Kumar, however, said, “In alliance, the government is made together, elections are fought together and there is a common programme.”
Further clarifying his position on his party’s relation with the BJP, he said, “Had we have the same school of thoughts, we would not have been two parties. Then the question of alliance would not have arisen. Reality is that we are in alliance, which is based on common minimum programmes. And these also include minority welfare, which we together implement.”
Explaining the reasons why he was still working with the BJP and would continue to do so, the JD(U) leader said, “I have good relations with the BJP and have had a good experience working with it.”
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