New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar was offered the prime ministerial post by the Opposition INDIA bloc after the Lok Sabha election results were announced, party leader KC Tyagi claimed in an exclusive interview with NDTV. The remarks came amid speculation that the INDIA bloc is trying to get Nitish Kumar back into the alliance in a bid to stop the NDA from forming the government for a record third term.
Mr Tyagi, though, made it clear that the JDU has rejected all the offers from the opposition and plan to work with the NDA for the next five years.
"Nitish Kumar's speech supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put to rest all the rumours doing the rounds. These reports should have stopped when we (JDU) joined the NDA," Mr Tyagi told NDTV.
"We were hurt by the way Congress and its allies treated our leader, and had to choose a different path. Those who thought Nitish Kumar was not worthy of being the alliance's convenor are now offering him the Prime Minister's post. But the JDU has already rejected all such offers," he added.
The 73-year-old also said that their main demand would be to grant a special status to Bihar, which he said would help Bihar develop.
"All the resources, coal mines went to Jharkhand when the state split, Bihar was left with unemployment, poverty and migrants. Bihar cannot develop unless it is given a special status," Mr Tyagi said.
Buzz of a sensational Nitish Kumar - INDIA bloc reunion surfaced Tuesday evening after it became clear the BJP would not win 272 seats on its own. Senior INDIA leaders, including former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, suggested an olive branch might be extended to Nitish Kumar.
On Thursday sources close to Nitish Kumar ruled out this possibility, but left a sting in the tail; with both sides locked in talks over ministerial berth allocation, the BJP brass was reportedly told to remember Nitish Kumar had walked out of the INDIA bloc over delays in naming him as its Convenor.
According to sources, JDU will get two key posts in the new cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which will be sworn in tomorrow. The party has proposed the name of two senior leaders - Lalan Singh and Ram Nath Thakur. Lalan Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bihar's Munger, while Ram Nath Thakur is a Rajya Sabha MP. Mr Thakur is the son of Bharat Ratna awardee Karpoori Thakur.