'JD (U) is an important ally, BJP needs its support': Anurag Thakur

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) President Anurag Thakur on Saturday said the Janata Dal (United) will always remain an important ally, and added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) needs its support to ensure that an option is available to the country in the upcoming polls, which is presently suffering under the Congress governance.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party wants to keep the NDA united. JD (U) is an important ally and will always remain an important ally. And we need their support," he said.

Thakur said it is very important for the country that the NDA should come back to power to get rid of corrupt Congress, which has given only inflation and unemployment to the country.

"The country needs NDA back in power to give good governance and to get rid of Congress governance. For that, all the allies should stick together to give a strong NDA as an option to the country in the upcoming polls," he added.

NDA convenor Nand Kishore Yadav and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi today refused to meet Nitish Kumar.

Yadav earlier in the day said that they were called by Nitish Kumar, but this morning they read in a newspaper that he has raised the issue of Prime Ministership.

Yadav said only the national leaders can speak on this issue, and added that he and Sushil are not authorised to discuss it.

"He had called me and Sushil ji. But he has raised the issue as to whether Narendra Modi would be the Prime Ministerial candidate. The BJP national leadership is in touch with him, he should discuss this issue with the national leadership and not with us," he said.

Nand Kishore Yadav's remarks came against the backdrop of a media report that quoted Nitish Kumar as saying that BJP should publicly declare that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will not be its prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 polls.

Nitish Kumar, who returned from a tour to Patna yesterday, made it clear that there is a strain in the ties between the Janata Dal (United) and the BJP, and said that the current situation of the coalition is very difficult.

"And, we have to now decide on what to do in this difficult situation. Talks are going on in almost all quarters. On the one hand, they are saying that the alliance should continue for its very old. On the other hand, there are difficulties," said Kumar.

"Dua dete hai jeene ki, dawa karte hai marne ki (You wish me a long life, but offer medicines that will poison me)," he added.

JD (U) has 118 MLAs in 243-member Bihar assembly and needs the support of only four more MLAs to reach the magic figure.

There are 91 MLAS from BJP, 21 from RJD and one each from LJP and CPI in the state assembly.