Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo, Lalu Prasad Yadav, on Tuesday said that he will support the Bihar chief minister, Nitish Kumar, for the prime minister’s role.
On being asked by ANI reporter if he would support Nitish for the PM’s candidature, Lalu said, “Haan haan zaroor, iss mein kya do rai hai (Of course yes. Is there even a doubt on this?)”
Last week Nitish had talked about the need for all secular parties to unite to free India from the RSS and the BJP.
Speaking at a conclave in Patna, Nitish Kumar said, “Loktantra khatre mein hai, sabhi gair BJP parties ko ek saath aana hoga unhe harane ke liye. Alag alag ladne se baat nahi banegi (The democracy is in danger. All non-BJP parties must come together to defeat them. Fighting elections separately won’t solve the problem). Lohia had made a non-Congress platform, now all parties have to unite against the BJP.”
Nitish’s call was widely being seen as the Bihar chief minister possibly positioning himself as a potential prime minister’s candidate in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Lalu’s support for Nitish assumes significance in the light of the fact that his RJD is a dominant partner in Bihar government and historically both had not enjoyed very good relations.