Opposition is lacking ideas to take on the Modi government at the Centre. This is what JD-U president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said earlier today in Patna.
Highlighting the lethargy and inaction of the Opposition on key issues, Kumar said, “We have forgotten the farmer issue. Many within the opposition admit in private that issues like demonetisation etc. do not work against the BJP government.”
In a dig at Congress, which leads the Opposition, Nitish Kumar said that no solutions or alternative narratives were being offered while attacking the Modi government and its policies.
“Opposition parties need to come out with an alternate narrative. Congress being the largest party in the Opposition block should set the agenda. Only reactive narrative and talks of unity won’t work. Without an agenda Opposition unity is simply meaningless,” Kumar said.
Nitish Kumar, who heads grand coalition (mahagathbandhan) of JD-U, RJD and the Congress in Bihar, is also officially part of the Congress-led Opposition at the Centre. But in the Presidential election, the JD-U broke the Opposition ranks by announcing its support to NDA’s Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind. Party’s national general secretary KC Tyagi recently said that the JD-U was much more comfortable with the BJP during its 17-year-long partnership with the saffron party.
The Bihar CM, however dismissed talks about him wanting to to back to BJP or NDA, terming those media speculations. Instead he seemed to offer “constructive criticism” to the Congress and opposition, asking them to focus on issues and set an alternative narrative.
He reminded how the farmer’s issue was forgotten because there was no alternative narrative and the opposition was just focusing on a few incidents in Madhya Pradesh. He stressed on this need for alternative narrative even on issues like cow protection, where the opposition’s views were not clear.
