Nitish Kumar's sudden decision shows his opportunist trait: Congress

Mumbai/New Delhi [India] August 2 (ANI): Supporting Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav's 'turncoat' remark on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Congress on Wednesday said that the sudden decision taken by the latter shows his opportunist behaviour. "Whatever happened in Bihar in the last few weeks is unfortunate. Nitish Kumar along with Lalu Yadav and the Congress contested the election in Bihar and defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He broke an alliance on a baseless issue and within 12 hours, joined hands with the saffron party. This indicates nothing but Nitish Kumar's opportunist behaviour," Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam told ANI. He added that Lalu Yadav has made his mark in the politics on his own, unlike Nitish Kumar who has always taken support. Another Congress leader P.C. Chacko said that Lalu Yadav has used a very frank word which nobody can dispute over, not even Nitish Kumar. "Nitish Kumar broke his long-term alliance with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) because Prime Minister Narendra Modi was proposed as the Prime Ministerial candidate. That same Nitish Kumar is saying that nobody can defeat Prime Minister Modi. This simply shows the sign of opportunism. Lalu Yadav has put it in the right language," he added. He further said that it is the most unfortunate that a person, who was considered a person with principles, has changed his ideology merely for power. A day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar accused long time ally Lalu Prasad Yadav of being smothered in corruption, the latter on Tuesday hit back asserting that his long-time-friend-turned-foe is a 'turncoat' and is known for his dubious character. Lalu said, "I know Nitish Kumar from the beginning as I'm senior to him. He is one big 'Palturam' (turncoat) whose true colours will soon show. From the very beginning, he is known for his dubious character. Nitish has forgotten the days when he used to take my blessing and go for any political debate or talks." Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lalu said that Nitish used to speak ill of BJP and today he is singing their glory. Earlier on Monday, Nitish, while addressing his first press conference after joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), declared that no one is capable to face and beat Prime Minister Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He praised Prime Minister Modi, calling him the "biggest leader" in the country and added that "there is no one who can defeat him." Nitish also explained that he had given Lalu Yadav ample opportunities to explain the charges of corruption against him, but to no avail. If Lalu had explained himself over the corruption allegations, then situation could have been different in Bihar, Nitish said. On July 26, Nitish resigned as the chief minister and ended two-year alliance with the RJD and the Congress over corruption charges against his deputy and Prasad's son Tejashwi Yadav. Nitish, however, the very next day, formed an alliance with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and was sworn-in as the chief minister of the state - for the sixth time. (ANI)