Raghuvansh Singh questions Nitish Kumar as PM candidate

Hinting at all-is-not-well in the ruling party of Bihar, senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh on Monday, hit out at alliance partner JD(U) for describing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as prime ministerial material. Talking talk on JD(U) he asks, "Does the JD(U), a small political party, seriously think that it has wherewithal to make Nitish Kumar the primeminister of the country?" Though the JD(U) had notdeclare him as the party's prime ministerial candidate.

Singh said, "What will happen if all opposition parties,say about 20 in number, start projecting own prime ministerialnominee? It will create obstacle in unity of the secularparties and that will be beneficial to the BJP in nextparliamentary polls." All opposition parties should unite to take a call onthe prime ministerial candidate to take on the BJP at thehustings, said the RJD vice-president.

At its national council meeting on Sunday, Kumar wasappointed JD(U) president, pushing him for a bigger role innational politics, but was not made the party's primeministerial candidate for 2019 general election.Singh also attacked Nitish for getting Sharad Yadavremoved from the JD(U) president' post at the fag end of histerm to and supplant himself in that position.

The senior RJD leader had earlier criticised Kumar forenforcement of prohibition in Bihar in a 'draconian' mannergiven the stringent punishment proposed under the BiharProhibition and Excise Act' that came into force with effectfrom October 2. Singh was also opposed to his party's decision to makeNitish Kumar the Chief Minister following the Assemblyelection last year.