PATNA: As CM Nitish Kumar is scheduled to reach Mumbai on Thursday to participate in the opposition INDIAs two-day crucial meeting there, the chorus to project him as the opposition blocs prime ministerial face for the next Lok Sabha polls has grown louder in the state.Many senior JD(U) leaders on Wednesday not only iterated that Nitish has all the qualities of becoming the prime minister but also argued that the Bihar CM possesses a vast experience of running a coalition government (in Bihar) as well as holding the responsibilities of many ministries in the Centre in the successive NDA governments.JD(U)s Rajya Sabha member and former minister Bashishtha Narain Singh even urged the countrys top opposition leaders to pay attention to the capabilities of Nitish before taking a decision on the leadership issue. "Nitish has emerged as the biggest political personality in the current scenario. It is Nitish who laid the foundation for unity among the opposition parties and consistently worked for bringing leading opposition parties on one platform. He also has an experience of participating in a big political movement (led by Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan) and successfully running a coalition government for a long period," said Singh, who also participated in the famous 1974 student movement along with Nitish and RJD chief Lalu Prasad.To a question, Singh further said Nitish possesses all the qualities of becoming the Prime Minister. "I consider him as a Prime Minister material since long. He has all capabilities of a PM. He has good understanding of governance. Moreover, he successfully held many responsibilities in the Union government in the previous NDA governments. We see a capable personality in Nitish to hold the PMs post," said Singh, who also served as JD(U) Bihar state president for many years.States prohibition, excise and registration minister Sunil Kumar said, "Our party strongly believes that CM Nitish Kumar is a PM material. There is no doubt about his leadership qualities. But any decision about the INDIA blocs convener will be taken with the consent of all participating parties."States minor water resources minister Jayant Raj said, "Ever since the first meeting of the opposition parties held in Patna, the people of Bihar want that Nitish Kumar be given a big role in the opposition bloc. Currently, the INDIA bloc is progressing under the able guidance of Nitish Kumar Ji. JD(U) believes that Nitish Ji has a vast experience of running the government and ministries in the state and at the Centre. No other leader in the opposition bloc has experience of running a government longer than Nitish Kumar."

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