“I Only Have One Dream”

Nitish Kumar insists he is not a candidate for prime minister. (Documentary photo)

Patna:

A day after massive opposition rally in Telangana, Bihar minister Nitish Kumar today said he has only one wish and that has nothing to do with him.

“I kept saying. I want nothing for myself. I have only one dream – to see the opposition leaders unite and move forward. It will benefit the country.” Nitish Kumar told reporters.

He was answering a question about his plan to carry out a mission to unite the opposition.

Minister Bihar’s comments come a day after prominent opposition leaders spoke at a joint rally in Khammam in Telangana at the invitation of Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Leaders such as Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Leftist leaders Pinarayi Vijayan and D Raja joined the rally. The congress, which is currently focusing on the final days of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, was absent.

In what appears to be an important first step towards a non-Parliamentary opposition front ahead of the 2024 national elections, opposition leaders have found common ground in targeting Prime Minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP.

This is Telangana Rao’s first major public meeting after his party was held nationwide. He is seen by many as an aspirant for the post of prime minister. So is Nitish Kumar, despite insisting that he is not a rival.

Mr Rao, at the rally, tore down Prime Minister Modi’s policies and said he would “go home” after the 2024 election.

“I am speaking directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji. Your policy is privatization. Our policy is nationalization,” he said.

Akhilesh Yadav, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, mentioned the Prime Minister’s comment that only 399 days left for the 2024 election. He said: “The BJP has started ‘counting the days’ and it won’t be in power for another day after the current term.