Left – JD(U) Old Friends with Shared Perspectives: Nitish
Bihar chief minister, Nitish Kumar, on Monday said the JD(U) and Left parties went back a long time and shared perspectives on several issues, including the Indo-US nuclear deal. Kumar’s remarks came a day after top Congress leader and his Delhi counterpart Sheila Dikshit had suggested that the JD(U) was inching toward the grand old party.
“The Left and we are old friends. We have been with the left for a long time since the days of the Janata Dal and we have a lot of experience with them,” Nitish was quoted as saying by a leading TV channel.
“Both the parties are of same opinion concerning the nuclear deal and many other issues,” he added. The statements are sure to touch off speculations as they came in the backdrop of Sheila Dikshit’s expressed optimism over prospects of the JD(U) joining the Congress-led UPA and the recent cold shoulder meted out to RJD chief Lalu P:rasad by Left parties.
Party spokesman Shivananand Tiwari, however, said that the party has no plans to overstep the confines of the BJP-led NDA.
In an ostensible effort to silence whispers Tiwari said: “JD(U) is a constituent of NDA and will remain so.”
Refraining from naming Dikshit he said: “Some people are trying to spread rumour.”
