Nitish Kumar: "I would sooner die than ally myself with the BJP"

Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, said on Monday that he would "rather die" than form an alliance with the BJP after learning of the saffron party's determination to forgo an agreement with the "unpopular" JD(U) leader.

When answering queries from media regarding the BJP's decision reached during its two-day state executive meeting that ended in Darbhanga the day before, Kumar made the comment.

I would rather die than join their cause, remember that, the elderly man remarked outside a celebration marking the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's passing. "Mar jaana qabool hai lekin unke saath jaana humko kabhi qabool nahin hai," he added.

The BJP was reminded during the hustings by Kumar, the state's longest-serving chief executive, of the tremendous success the party had under his direction, including the 2010 assembly elections, which saw the saffron party achieve its best-ever result of 91 seats.

The leader of the JD(U), who ended the coalition with the BJP in August of last year, said that the saffron party once won support from Muslims who felt safe enough under his leadership to temporarily put aside their anti-Hindutva sentiments.

"Bapu was assassinated on this day. The socialist leader made reference to Mahatma Gandhi's efforts during the riots that broke out surrounding Partition and his request that Pakistan be given an amount of Rs 55 crore. "And he was slain by people who had an issue with his dedication to defending the Muslims," he added.

In addition, Kumar said that his decision to re-align with the BJP in 2017 after severing connections with it in 2013 when Narendra Modi assumed the spotlight was a "mistake."

The chief minister continued, turning to face his deputy Tejashwi Yadav "His father has been accused of so many offenses (RJD supremo Lalu Prasad). It had no effect. I felt pressure from the BJP to reunite with them. They are now attempting to implicate these individuals in more instances ".

"When our party outperformed them in seats in 2020 due to their unwillingness to transfer their votes to us, I was hesitant to take the CM position. They received support from our voters, which improved their performance. They pushed me to assume leadership once again. However, hostility against their dubious participation in the elections was increasing among my party, so I made the decision to sever ties "said the JD(U) head.

In addition, Kumar, who the BJP often refers to as a "habitual betrayer," said that the saffron party had not been fair to the JD even at the height of their alliance's prosperity (U).

"In 2010, they organized contests in five or six locations with parties like the JMM, which has our poll symbol, in an effort to mislead our supporters. We lost five or six seats as a result, he said.

Notably, the 2010 elections also saw the JD(U) put up its best-ever showing, with a tally of more than 110 in the 243-member assembly, despite the fact that its strike rate was slightly lower than the BJP's. The saffron party frequently touts this achievement to emphasize how its presence in Bihar has been expanding.

The BJP's assertion that it will win "at least 36 out of 40" seats in the Lok Sabha elections the following year was similarly criticized by Kumar.

"When the elections are held, they will learn the truth. I'm hoping that opposition parties unite throughout the nation to defeat them. They are obligated to be rubbed in Bihar "argued Kumar, who is now a member of the Grand Alliance made up of the RJD, Congress, and the Left.

Without mentioning a specific leader, Kumar criticized the current government at the Centre for its "excessive propaganda" (prachaar-prasaar), renaming of locations, and abandonment of time-honored customs like a separate budget for the railways, a position he previously held under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee administration.