Not in race for PM's post: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday declared that he was not in the race to become the Prime Minister in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Describing his Janata Dal-United (JD-U) as "a small party", Nitish Kumar said: "Hamari party choti hai aur hum PM pad ke race mein katai shamil nahi hai."

He told the media that he never lived in illusion. "My party is a regional party and I am not at all in the race for the post of PM."

Nitish Kumar said he had said earlier that the Congress was a big party and it had every right to set the agenda and inform all the opposition parties.

The Congress should start work on an agenda only after approval from other opposition parties, he said.

"Opposition parties have to decide their role and they should start preparation for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. But the opposition needs an alternative narrative, just a reactive narrative wont work."

The JD-U leader also said that opposition parties should be united at the national level.

In a reply to a question, Nitish Kumar said he did not attend the GST unveiling in Parliament because he was not invited.

"If I had got the invitation from the central government, I would have attended the GST meeting in Delhi."

He said the Goods and Services Tax regime was a good system and he had supported it since the beginning.

"Whatever issue is in the interest of the people and the country, I always support and always stand for it."

Nitish Kumar refuted reports of cracks in Bihar's ruling Grand Alliance of JD-U, the RJD and the Congress led by him. "The Mahagathbandhan is intact."

--IANS

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