WATCH: Nitish Kumar publicly vents frustration with Congress for putting itself before I.N.D.I Alliance

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar took a swipe at his I.N.D.I alliance partner, Congress, saying all the bloc members are working together to strengthen the country’s grand old party, but it is “not interested in it right now.”

Kumar also stressed that the I.N.D.I alliance was formed after intense discussions, but the Congress does not have much interest in the alliance at the moment.

Addressing a rally in Bihar’s Patna Thursday, Kumar said: “Not a lot of work (of I.N.D.I.A bloc) is being done right now because of Assembly polls in five states, and Congress is more interested in that.”

“All of us (opposition parties) were working towards strengthening the Congress, but they are not interested in it right now because of the Assembly elections,” the Bihar CM said at a rally held in Patna by the Communist Party of India (CPI) which was evocatively themed ‘Bhaajpa hataao Desh bachao’ (dislodge the BJP from power, save the country).

VIDEO | “Not a lot of work (of INDIA alliance) is being done right now because of Assembly polls in five states (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram), and Congress is more ‘interested’ in that. All of us (opposition parties) were working towards… pic.twitter.com/SWNlUwSN1w

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 2, 2023

Congress is an important member of the Opposition-led I.N.D.I.A bloc, but in his statement, Nitish Kumar has alleged that the party is is not interested in seat-sharing and taking the alliance forward as it appears to be fully occupied with the assembly elections in five states.

Assembly elections are slated to take place in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram this November.

Speaking in the presence of senior leaders including CPI general secretary D Raja, Kumar recalled that parties opposed to the current dispensation had come together to form the new coalition.

During his speech, Kumar also touched upon the alleged muzzling of the media by the current regime at the Centre, claiming that good work done by his government in the state did not get adequate coverage.

With inputs from agencies