NITISH NOT TO ATTEND INLD’S JIND RALLY, SAYS JD(U) PRESIDENT
PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has decided not to attend a rally called by former Haryana chief minister and an Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Om Prakash Chautala in Jind on September 25 to commemorate the birth anniversary of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, Janata Dal (United) national chief Rajiv Ranjan, alias Lallan Singh, said on Saturday.
“Nitish Kumar will not take part in Devi Lal’s anniversary function on September 25 due to floods (in Bihar) and review of the measures to combat Covid-19 in anticipation of a third wave,” Singh said.
The rally has been organised with what is seen as a larger motive of exploring the possibility of a third front ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
Chautala has invited several prominent leaders, including Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, former PM and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Deve Gowda, Shiromani Akali Dal supremo Parkash Singh Badal, National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah, Telugu Desam Party leader Chandrababu Naidu and West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, for the rally. “I will reach out to all Opposition parties. My aim is to unite all political forces opposed to this corrupt government at the Centre and stitch a robust third front...,” he had said.
“More than floods and Covid-19, an important reason could be invitation extended to Mamata Banerjee and Mulayam Singh Yadav. Kumar, probably, would not like to share dais with these leaders,” said political analyst Gyanendra Yadav, associate professor of Sociology, College of Commerce, Patna.