Congress backs Nitish, but says national level alliance won't be needed

Congress on Sunday backed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's view that the country should be made 'Sangh-mukt' (RSS-free) as it is "posing a threat to democracy and unity" but said for any national-level alliance ahead of 2019 polls to take on BJP, parties should have "national existence".

The party said people of the country will oust the Modi government themselves going by its work graph and there will be no need for an alliance.

Asked if Nitish Kumar can be projected at the national level, the party said he is "a popular chief minister" who is doing good work in Bihar.

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"There is no talk of leadership (led by Nitish)...You are trying to create an imaginary alliance. I told you first, an alliance at the national level...All parties are state specific parties. The understanding is with such parties in states," Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed said, replying to queries on the possibility of forging a Nitish-led national alliance.

"By the time 2019 elections come, the public themselves will oust the Modi government and there will be no need for any alliance," Ahmed added.

Congress is part of the ruling alliance in Bihar.

Echoing Nitish's view against the RSS, the Congress leader said, "The country should be really made 'Sangh-mukt' and 'BJP-mukt' as they have created a threat to the nation's democracy and unity and integrity."

Ahmed said as far as alliances are concerned, they are state specific as some parties having strength in one state do not have strength in neighbouring states.

"There is no national level alliance as yet. Parties need to have a national existence. Most parties have their existence in states and state-level alliances are already happening," he said.

Asked if Nitish Kumar was being pitted against Rahul Gandhi in leading an alternative coalition to BJP, he said, "There is no fight amongst us. We are all together. But before we get together, the people of the country will get together to oust Modiji. The time and things keep changing. Lohiaji was against Congress, but Congress and Lohia's followers are today together in an alliance. There is paradigm shift."

Asked if Nitish Kumar can be projected at the national level, the Congress leader said, "Nitishji is a popular chief minister of our alliance in Bihar and is doing good work...And we want that his state should do better and he be strong and should do good public welfare works there and we all should support in this."

He said Congress has been saying that Nitish Kumar is a "good" chief minister and Lalu Yadav, who was once his adversary, has also admitted this.

To a question on whether Kumar has the potential to be a national leader, he said he was railway and agriculture minister at the Centre.

Addressing an event in Patna, Nitish Kumar on Saturday mounted a counter-offensive against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his 'Congress-mukt Bharat' slogan, saying, "Sangh-mukt Bharat banane ke liye sabhi gair BJP parties ko ek hona hoga (to usher in a Sangh-free India all non-BJP parties have to come together)."