Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday laughed off the 'vice-president' remarks by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi. Kumar claimed that Modi's remarks were bogus and he had no desire to become the vice president.
"You heard a man (Sushil Modi) say that I wanted to be Vice President. What a joke! It's bogus. I had no such desire. Did they forget how much did our party support in Presidential and Vice Presidential polls? Let them talk against me so that they get a position again," said
Kumar.
Modi had alleged that Kumar wanted to become the vice president and had parted ways with BJP after the party failed to accommodate his ambitions.
Kumar was sworn in as the Bihar Chief Minister on Wednesday after forming an alliance with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, and breaking ties with BJP. His deputy and RJD's leader Tejashwi Yadav was the only other minister sworn in by Governor Phagu Chauhan.
Kumar who heads the
JD(U) took oath for a record eighth time, as head of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) which it had dumped in 2015, to join hands with the BJP.
Kumar also dismissed rumours that he may now eye the Prime Ministerial race in the next general elections, asserted the Modi-led NDA government at the Centre does need to "worry" about its prospects in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "They should remember 2014 (when BJP stormed to power at the centre) is past. They need to worry (chinta karni chahiye') about 2024," Kumar had said.
With inputs from PTI
