I’m not in race for PM’S post in 2019 poll: Nitish
PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar on Monday emphatically said that he was not in the race for the prime minister's post in 2019.
“I am unnecessarily being targeted. We are a small party. I am not a fool... If I become the national president of my party, it does not mean that I harbour national aspiration (of becoming the PM),” Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of ‘Lok Samvad' programme here.
Stating that he believed in working for the people, Kumar said he has served the people throughout his political career –be it as MP, Union minister and now as the chief minister.
At present, the people of Bihar have given the mandate to grand alliance and he was doing his work in a positive manner, he said.
Asked whether he has the capability to lead a non-bjp alternative, Kumar said that “I neither have any aspiration nor the ability to become the PM.”
The JD(U) president, who was flanked by ministers and party leaders during interaction with the media, said that it was difficult to say as to who will emerge as the PM candidate in 2019. “It sounds weird... I am not the claimant for the prime minister's post in 2019 (general elections),” he said.
“The person in whom people will see potential will become the prime minister. People saw potential in Narendra Modi during last elections, he has become the PM,” Kumar said adding that Modi, then the Gujarat Chief Minister was not even in the frame to become the PM five years ago.
Meanwhile, Kumar pitched for building a consensus on the next president, suggesting that the BJP should initiate talks with political parties and favouring a second term for Pranab Mukherjee.
The main opposition Congress, however, remained non- committal on backing Mukherjee, saying “It is for the ruling party to decide”. AHMEDABAD: A day after he 'unfollowed' Rahul Gandhi and other party colleagues on Twitter, Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela on Monday scotched speculation about returning to the BJP.
Vaghela said that his decision to 'unfollow' the Congress vice-president was not personal and that he will remain inactive on social media till the Gujarat assembly polls, due later this year, to stop "spreading of false messages and speculations" about him.
There has been a demand by a section of state Congress leaders to declare Vaghela as the chief ministerial candidate but the party has made it clear that it will not name anyone for the post before the polls.
Vaghela also skipped an event organised by the party's IT cell on Sunday and his actions were seen as an indication of a possible rift in the party. Addressing the media in Gandhinagar on Monday, Vaghela, however, said that he was not in the chief-ministerial race.
He also clarified that he does not have any plans to retire at this stage.
"Though I have already clarified earlier that I am not in the race to be the next chief minister, messages like 'Bapu as CM' were being circulated in the social media. Thus, to avoid any confusion and misunderstanding, I have decided to unfollow everyone," Vaghela known popularly as 'Bapu', told reporters.
"There is nothing personal, as I have unfollowed everyone. I have decided to remain inactive on social media to stop spreading of false messages and speculations about me. I took that decision because it was adversely affecting our poll related planning," the former chief minister of Gujarat said.
Apart from unfollowing Rahul Gandhi and others from his twitter account, 77-year-old Vaghela, who is the Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, also deleted all the anti-bjp posts from his account, which fuelled speculations that he may leave the Congress and join the saffron party, which he had quit in 1996. BARIPADA (Odisha): A Baripada court on Monday remanded BJP Mayurbhanj district president and three other leaders to judicial custody in connection with a case of assault on a government official.
Mayurbhanj district sessions judge Pramod Kumar Jena rejected the bail petition of district BJP chief Krushna Chandra Mohapatra and the three other leaders and remanded them to jail till May 29.
The four were asked to appear before the court today.
Mohapatra, BJP state executive committee members Chhotelal Mohanta and Nihar Ranjan Modi and another party leader Prakash Agarwalla were facing trial in a case of demanding ransom and assaulting public servant.
They were charged with barging into the office of assistant commercial tax officer Kulamani Bhoi at Jamsola in the inter-state check post under Jharpokharia Police Station on May 23, 2016. CHENNAI: With as many as ten state transport corporation unions affiliated to various opposition parties resorting to indefinite strike to press for their demands, the commuters across Tamil Nadu were hit hard on Monday.
The unions linked to opposition DMK and the Left parties resorted to the strike amid some reports of shattering of the window panes of buses and assaulting of a driver in Tiruchirappalli allegedly by employees favouring the strikes. Amid the ongoing strike, the state government appealed to the employees to end the strike, while blaming the oppositionbacked trade unions for “politicising the issue and misleading the employees.” The striking unions, on the other hand, demanded that the state fulfil their “legitimate demands” and objected to the hiring of the drivers on ad hoc basis to cripple the strike.
They said they were ready to resolve various contentious issues through talks. The ten trade unions resorted to the strike after several rounds of their talks with the government on various issues including that for the upward wage revision to bring it on par with that of the employees of other PSUS, failed. Some buses had gone off the roads yesterday itself as a section of employees went on strike. Claiming that 75 per cent of the government buses were operated, Transport Minister M R Vijayabaskar blamed the DMK- affiliated LPF and trade unions CITU and AITUC linked to the Left parties for “having the strike as their only goal.”
He said the talks did not fructify due to the rigid stance of the unions despite the government offering a staggered pay out plan.