Nitesh's meet with Modi creates flutter

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s picture with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden during the G-20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday night has set off speculation in political circles.

This was Nitish Kumar’s first meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he left the BJP-led NDA  and formed a “Mahagathbandhan” government in Bihar with the support of the RJD and the Congress in August last year.

After his picture with Prime Minister Modi and US President Joe Biden surfaced on social media, political parties in Bihar took a dig at Nitish Kumar, saying: “His participation in the G-20 dinner meeting was a message to the NDA as well as the Opposition bloc INDIA”.

Talking to reporters in Patna on Monday, former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi said: “Nitish Kumar’s participation raises questions because earlier he didn’t want to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but during the event, he is seen standing with him smiling and being introduced to US President Joe Biden. This indicates his political future”.

Nitish Kumar has been critical of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre since he left the NDA in Bihar. Nitish Kumar has also been instrumental in uniting the Opposition parties and bringing them on one platform to counter the BJP-led NDA in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

The Opposition bloc was later named the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) during its second meeting in Bengaluru. The first meeting of the United Opposition was held in Patna on June 23.

Political analysts pointed out that after forming a Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar, Nitish Kumar had been avoiding any meeting with Mr Modi. Earlier, he had skipped several events and dinner in New Delhi which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Questions were also raised because, after his return from New Delhi on Sunday, Nitish Kumar didn’t say much about his meeting with the Prime Minister or the G-20 dinner event. On Monday too, after his Janata durbar in Patna, he said nothing about the issue.