BJP reminds Nitish of his responsibility to strengthen NDA

Prabhat Jha says strains between BJP & JD(U) over the latter's reservations against projection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will blow over

Amid sparring between ruling NDA partners in Bihar, BJP today said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was duty-bound to strengthen the alliance as he has been an anti-Congress leader all his life.

"Having been an anti-Congress leader during his entire public life, Nitish Kumar too has responsibility to strengthen NDA," BJP national vice-president and Rajya Sabha MP Prabhat Jha told reporters.

He expressed confidence that strains between BJP and JD(U) over the latter's reservations against projection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi would blow over in course of time and Kumar would come on board in the end on BJP's choice of the prime ministerial candidate.

The BJP leadership will take a call on its choice of its prime ministerial candidate at an appropriate time, Jha, a Madhya Pradesh-based leader, said adding Kumar should have no doubt that Modi remains "by far the most popular" leader of the country.

"A political party charts out its strategy over a period of time and takes decision at an appropriate time," he said on the issue of BJP's prime ministerial candidate.

On Kumar's cryptic remark "who has seen tomorrow?' in reference to the future of NDA, the senior BJP leader refused to read too much into it and said he believed that the two allies will remain together.

Lauding Kumar for bringing Bihar 'out of a morass', he claimed the development work by the NDA government spoke volumes about its performance which is being appreciated by all.

"Like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar too has come a long way from being among sick states and is striding towards development and prosperity after being looted by the RJD-led government for 15 years," he added.