Anti-Cong, anti-BJP block need not have a leader: Nitish

There was no need for choosing a leader to head an anti-Congress and anti-BJP grouping in Parliament for which talks would be held on February 5 in Delhi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said today.

Admitting that there were 'functional problems' in forming a separate grouping of non-BJP and non-Congress parties in Parliament, Kumar who is an important leader behind the exercise, said efforts would be made to forge 'maximum possible unity'.

"It's known that in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress and the Left cannot come together. Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh SP and BSP are loggerheads with each other," Kumar said.

"Our efforts will be to forge maximum possible unity among parties on common issues while parties will maintain their separate identities," he said.

Kumar, who is driving force of the JD(U), said after February 5 meeting in Delhi, it would be clear what shape the grouping would take.

"Formation of a separate grouping in Parliament will be a new thing," he said.

Claiming that there was no chance of either BJP or Congress-led alliances coming to power, he said "In this circumstance, formation of a grouping of anti-Congress and anti-BJP parties will be significant in the coming Lok Sabha elections."

He said the SP, JD(U), BJD, AIADMK, Trinamool Congress, Jharkhand Vikas Party, Asom Gana Parishad, and Left parties were talking among themselves for such a grouping.

Left parties were taking initiative for the exercise and JD(U) was actively supporting them, he said on the sidelines of 'Janata ke Darbar' programme.

Asked if RJD of Lalu Prasad could be part of the grouping, Kumar said that when he spoke of anti-Congress and anti-BJP it included their allies too.

Asked if it would be like the 1989 United Front or a Third Front, Kumar said it would be wrong to compare it with any past coalition.