Nitish Kumar says has no objection to 'INDIA' name for opposition bloc

Patna, July 19 (IANS) A day after the opposition meeting in Bengaluru and his early departure, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday broke his silence and said that he is not angry at anything or at the name of "INDIA" it adopted.

Asked why he had not attended the press conference after the meeting of the opposition parties, he said that he had an event in Rajgir and hence he wanted to return to Patna as early on Tuesday.

“The name INDIA came before us in the meeting and we unanimously passed the name. I have no objection to it. We all were present in the meeting in Bengaluru and everything was fine. I have no wish to become the convener of alliance,” Nitish Kumar said.

On the meeting of the BJP-led NDA, he said: “Have they called a meeting of the NDA in the past. Now, they held the meet which was a repercussion of our meeting in Patna and Bengaluru. They have called many parties but do you know such parties in the past? On the other hand, the parties that came to our meeting in Bengaluru and Patna are well known.”

“NDA was formed in 1999 under Atal Ji (Atal Bihari Vajpayee). He was regularly taking meetings of alliance partners but they (the Narendra Modi government) have not done any meeting. They have done meetings with those who were thrown out from our alliance in the past. The current status of BJP is very weak. Hence, they are meeting,” he said.