Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today addressed the media.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today refused to retract his remarks slamming the Congress as the weakest link in the opposition as he addressed the media.
Here are the highlights of what Nitish Kumar said:
On Opposition- I have said from the start that apart from unity, the opposition parties should also have a common agenda.
- There should be a common plan. Only then will they be an effective opposition.
- Simply coming together is not going to be fruitful.
- The opposition must have an alternate agenda. It is not for one leader or one party to come up with an agenda. This has to be done together.
- Leaders of all opposition parties have to sit together and work on this.
- The farmer issue was at its height when suddenly the politics of the presidential election came by and now the farmer issue as taken the backseat. Should this have happened?
- The significance of the farmers' issue was lost by the opposition to put pressure on the government. This is exactly what I mean when I say that simply coming together without having a proper strategy will result in lost opportunities.
On Grand Alliance In Bihar - Just talking of unity among opposition parties is not enough. The maha-gathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar should be seen by all opposition parties as an example of how to effectively come together.
- The grand alliance in Bihar was planned such that we were fully ready. Things were clear. There was no confusion among the parties. That is why we succeeded. Similarly, opposition parties must now have a clear narrative.
- I have said what I had to. You can take it as it is or you can interpret it the way you want. That is your choice. But please do not drag the issue.
- After the Presidential election, we have the Vice Presidential election within a few weeks. We view this as a very important event.... You'll have to wait and see what we have in mind for it.
On Goods and Services Tax (GST) Launch- There was no invitation. I was not even aware of it. Now you tell me, how was I supposed to go when I didn't get an invite, and wasn't aware of it. Those who were sent the invitation were present there.
- We fully support the GST. It is a very important reform. It is simple and makes the entire system and process a lot simpler. There is just one tax and a common authority to oversee things as well as monitor it. The processing of data will also be far simpler. This will also make doing business simpler.
- So yes, we are supportive of the GST. It is a good thing. Yes, there might be some initial hiccups, but isn't that the case for any big initiative when it start. Should there be an problems at the start, things will iron out very soon.