The JD(U), which was reportedly arm-twisting the BJP to name its prime ministerial candidate, declared that Bihar chief minister and senior leader Nitish Kumar was “not in the race” for the top post. However, at the same time, the JD(U), while talking of its “impeccable secular credentials”, made its opposition to Gujarat CM Narendra Modi positioning himself as a PM candidate clear. Mr Sharad Yadav, meanwhile, was elected JD(U) president for a third consecutive term.
The JD(U) national executive, which began on Saturday, criticised Mr Modi for failure to contain the 2002 communal carnage. For the JD(U), Mr Modi was “not large-hearted and proactive enough to stop the riots”. However, the party did not set any deadline for the BJP to declare its PM candidate and also ruled out any possibility of joining hands with the UPA. JD(U) general secretary K.C. Tyagi described the Congress as an “enemy party”. The JD(U) also attacked the Congress for the 1984 riots. Mr Tyagi felt the Congress had “no right” to target Mr Modi over the issue of “raj dharma since the mass killings had happened under a Congress leadership in Delhi in 1984”.
Mr Tyagi also took a dig at its “friend”, the BJP, over not following coalition dharma.