Summary:
New Delhi, Sep 6 (PTI) Affirming that he was neither a claimant for prime minister"s post nor desirous of it, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday continued with his efforts to forge the opposition unity and met several leaders, including those from the Left and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Kumar, who is on his first visit to the national capital after snapping ties with the BJP-led NDA last month, held a series of meetings on the second day of his stay here and asserted that his focus is to bring together all opposition parties.
"It is time for the Left parties, the Congress and all regional parties to come together to form a united opposition", Kumar told reporters after meeting CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury.
His meetings came amid speculation that his party is eying the leadership role for him in a proposed united front against the BJP in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Asked about his aspirations to become prime minister, Kumar said, "This is wrong.
I am not a claimant for the post, nor am I desirous of it." Kumar also met INLD supremo OP Chautala and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
According to Yechury, Kumar"s return to the Opposition fold and his desire to be part of a fight against the BJP is a great signal for Indian politics.
"First, the agenda is to unite all parties, not to decide on the PM candidate.
When the time comes we will decide the PM candidate and let you all know," he said.
The JD-U leader also met CPI general secretary D Raja.
"I have had a long association with the CPI-M from my younger days.
You all have not seen me, but whenever I used to come to Delhi, I used to come to this office.
Today we are all together again.
Our entire focus is to unite all Left parties, the regional parties, Congress.