Nitish Kumar's Outreach Plan In Full Swing, Mega Meeting Of Top Opposition Leaders In Bihar Likely Next Month

After the Congress' success in Karnataka, the Mahagathbandan in Bihar is preparing a major meeting for top opposition leaders in Bihar next month.

The final date will be set once participation is confirmed, but Grand Alliance leaders are excited to support Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's initiatives to rally the opposition, reports The Indian Express.

Kumar's first round of talks with Opposition leaders is expected to conclude before a probable meeting in Patna. Bihar CM hopes to create an alliance of various non-BJP parties, with the Congress playing a crucial role.

Jitan Ram Manjhi, former Bihar CM and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) founder, compared Nitish Kumar's attempt to unite the opposition to Jayaprakash Narayan's legendary efforts.

“Just as JP (as Narayan was popularly known) brought together several parties under the banner of the Janata Party in 1977, Nitish Kumar has been trying to make similar efforts to bring together maximum Opposition parties,” Manjhi said, according to the report.

Bihar CM has been actively meeting with various key political leaders across different parties recently. He has already met with Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, and Hemant Soren.

Last week, Kumar also met with Badruddin Ajmal, the supremo of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). Kumar has not yet met with the CMs of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana during his Opposition outreach efforts.

Neeraj Kumar, a former minister and current JD(U) MLC told The Indian Express: “Bihar has surely presented a model of Opposition unity. We came together with six parties, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress.

"The Bihar CM has been meeting the top Opposition leaders after AICC (All India Congress Committee) president Mallikarjun Kharge and former AICC head Rahul Gandhi warmed up to the Bihar CM. Against such background, Patna or any other Bihar venue will provide further tempo to Opposition unity.”

According to Neeraj Kumar, the Congress's win in Karnataka has reinvigorated non-BJP forces and given the opposition a boost.

Bihar's Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav went even further, questioning the national status of the BJP. Yadav said: “How can the BJP call itself a national party now? They are nowhere in the south, they are not in government in Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand. They are in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra because of applying crooked methods.”