Will Welcome Nitish Kumar Into National Democratic Alliance: BJP

The BJP and its ally Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Saturday said they will welcome Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar into the National Democratic Alliance.

"Nitish Kumar ka hum NDA mein swagat karenge, agar wo apna kadam NDA ki taraf badhaye to hum kadam se kadam milakar chalne ko taiyyar hai (We will welcome Nitish Kumar in the NDA. If he will move towards NDA, we will reciprocate and work in unity)," senior BJP leader Vinod Narayan Jha said in Patna.

Union Minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan said that Nitish Kumar should join the NDA. "If Nitish Kumar joins the NDA, LJP will welcome him."

Mr Paswan added that Nitish Kumar is feeling uncomfortable in the Grand Alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress.

Mr Jha and Mr Paswan have asked Nitish Kumar, who is the Janta Dal (United) President, to join the NDA after he announced his support for the BJP-led NDA nominee for President, Ram Nath Kovind. Earlier, BJP state president Nityanand Rai also said that Nitish Kumar is welcome in the NDA.

Nitish Kumar on Friday said his party is free to take its decisions, and admonished the Opposition for fielding "Bihar ki beti (Bihar's daughter)" Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha Speaker, in the Presidential poll, to lose.

However, JD(U) leader Shayam Rajak said JD(U) is part of the Grand Alliance and it will not join the NDA.