Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who came to Delhi with a longish “to-do” list for his ‘Mission Opposition’, checked off the first item Monday evening, meeting Congress’s Rahul Gandhi at his Tughlaq Road residence. Sources said the discussion was entirely on 2024 and the means to unite the opposition, at the end of which Mr Kumar again told reporters that he has no ambition for the top post.
“There is a concerted effort to weaken regional parties. My effort is to unite the Opposition ahead of the general elections. I have no intention of pitching myself as a prime ministerial candidate,” Mr Kumar told reporters.
But the buzz about his eye on the Prime Minister’s post, that had started immediately after his break-up with the BJP, shows no sign of abating, despite Mr Kumar’s many protestations to the contrary.
While Mr Kumar had said that he wishes to meet the leaders of his new Mahagathbandhan alliance in Delhi, he has also declared that the visit is meant to bring all the opposition leaders under one umbrella – a task seen as a significant challenge.