PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday disclosed that he had asked his deputy Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD and president of his Janata Dal (United) Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh to attend the February 17 event to be hosted by his Telangana counterpart K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
The JD(U) supreme leader, however, insisted that this would not cast a shadow on his partnership with the Congress which Chandrashekar Rao views as his principal rival.
“He (KCR) wanted me to attend his function. When I excused myself citing pressing engagements back home, he requested that I depute someone from the party. So I have asked Lalan,” Kumar told reporters in Kaimur district which he visited as part of ‘Samadhan Yatra’.
Kumar said that Rao had asked him to put in a word with Yadav. “I assured him that I would do the needful but he should also speak to the Deputy CM. Both of them (Lalan and Tejashwi) will be going to Hyderabad,” said the Bihar CM.
The JD(U) boss also dismissed suggestions that cosying up to Chandrashekar Rao, a votary of a non-Congress, non-BJP front amounted to his giving up the idea of a “united opposition” which would include the grand old party to take on the saffron outfit in the Lok Sabha elections.
“I have said it before that I am waiting for their (Bharat Jodo) Yatra to conclude after which various parties would sit together and explore the possibility of forming a coalition that could take along as many people as possible”, the JD(U) leader said.
He pointed out that he had done his bit to set the ball in motion soon after calling off the alliance with BJP and joining the ‘Mahagathbandhan’, by visiting Delhi and holding talks with leaders of various parties.
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