On August 31, Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrashekhar Rao met Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar. There were some speculations that KCR might announce Nitish Kumar as the face of opposition parties for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but nothing like that happened. Instead, there was an awkward and embarrassing conversation between the two chief ministers when a reporter asked about the PM candidate for 2024.
Both the leaders were holding a press conference during which a reporter asked KCR who would be the PM candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. As soon as the question was asked, Nitish Kumar stood up and asked KCR to leave with him. Contrary to what Nitish wanted, KCR held his hand and asked him to sit as he was not in the mood to leave the press conference without answering the question. He said, “Nitish Kumar is the country’s best leader.” He further added that the opposition parties that stand against BJP would come together and decide who would be the PM candidate. KCR was also asked if Congress would join them, but he avoided the question.
‘Baithiye na’ ‘Nahi aap chaliye’
The reporter had asked KCR if he would suggest Nitish Kumar’s name for PM candidate if they form a united front. KCR said, “Whom am I to decide…” While he was speaking, Nitish Kumar asked him to leave the press conference with him and stood up, but KCR continued. “Even if I suggest his name, someone may oppose it. Why are you in so much hurry,” he said.
Watching Nitish ready to leave, it appeared that some of the reporters also stood up. KCR kept sitting and urged Nitish Kumar to sit down and let him answer the questions, but Nitish was not ready to face the “difficult” questions about PM candidate for the Lok Sabha elections.
Nitish finally sat down, but the next question again irked him. The reporter asked if Rahul Gandhi would remain PM candidate as Congress keeps emphasizing the same. Nitish, with visible frustration, asked the reporter not to put up such questions. When KCR tried to answer, he also stopped KCR and sort of instructed him to ignore the question. KCR avoided answering the question and said, “You are clever, but I am cleverer. As I said, we will sit together with all anti-BJP parties. We will try to bring them together.”
While KCR was speaking, Nitish again stood up and kept interrupting him. When a reporter again questioned if Nitish’s name would be up for PM candidate, Nitish told KCR, “Let’s go. Why are you answering them?” But KCR wanted to listen and continued. Nitish said, “Don’t fall into this trap. Leave this.” KCR said, “Please sit down, Nitish Ji, please sit down.”
Lok Sabha elections 2024
The next Lok Sabha elections are scheduled for the first half of 2024. Home Minister Amit Shah has already hinted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will remain the PM candidate for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, the situation is tense on the other side. There are a number of leaders among the opposition parties who want to break the shackles of state politics and want to enter national politics, including Nitish Kumar, KCR, Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal amongst others. Congress has always been a “strong” candidate to put up its leader as PM face because they are the oldest political party in the country. However, putting up Rahul Gandhi as PM candidate hasn’t quite helped.
