Bihar chief minister and JD(U) stalwart Nitish Kumar on Monday dismissed the BJP’s hopes of gaining more seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls on a likely wave around Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate and accused the saffron party of diverting the electorate’s attention from crucial issues.
Known for his long proximity to BJP patriarch L.K. Advani, Mr Kumar also took an oblique jibe at Mr Modi over the sidelining of Mr Advani and accused the BJP of secretly joining hands with the RJD of Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar.
He also sought to put at rest speculation about a possible JD(U)-Congress alliance by hinting that his regional party might contest the LS polls on its own.
“The BJP will not gain from this decision (naming Modi as PM candidate). This will be proved by results of the 2014 elections. The BJP itself destroyed the atmosphere in which new avenues could have been paved and went into isolation by pursuing its own wishes,” Mr Kumar said after the janata durbar programme at his residence. “There is a joy within the house (of the BJP) but not so among the common people over this decision,” he added.
“While their own Iron Man (Advani) has been left to rust, they are busy collecting iron from across the country to build a statue of liberty of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel,” said Mr Kumar referring to Mr Modi’s grand project of building the world’s tallest statue of Patel in Gujarat.
Mr Kumar said the JD(U) was “not in talks with any party as of today” for an alliance.