Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said a Bihar-style Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) of Opposition parties was needed at the national level to take on the BJP in the 2019 general elections. Mr. Kumar also said the issue of illegal slaughterhouses had been raised unnecessarily to divert the attention of people from the main issues of the growing agricultural crisis and lack of employment generation in the country.
“A mahagathbandhan like this will be maha safal [grand success],” Mr. Kumar said addressing journalists on the sidelines of his weekly Lok Samvad programme here.
Congress’s initiative
Mr. Kumar also added that being a bigger party, the Congress should take the initiative.
“I’ve been meeting and discussing for this with leaders of Left parties too,” the Bihar Chief Minister added.
When asked about the results of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Mr. Kumar said: “The BJP victory was mainly because there was no Bihar-like grand alliance… The vote percentage of Congress-SP alliance and the BSP together is 10% more than the votes polled by the BJP there,” he said.
