Nitish Kumar dismisses reports of him not attending INDIA bloc meeting

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday quashed reports of him not attending the opposition INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi, calling the reports “utter nonsense”. The meeting, which was initially planned by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi on Wednesday, was postponed.

Talking to reporters, the Bihar Chief Minister said that he wasn’t able to give his nod for the meeting as he had fever. The INDIA bloc meeting will be now held on December 17, according to RJD chief Lalu Yadav.

"There were rumours that I won't attend INDIA bloc meeting. This is nonsense. I had fever at that time. Whenever the next meeting is held, I will definitely go," said Nitish Kumar.

Earlier, there were reports that senior leaders JD(U) chief Lalan Singh and Bihar's water resources minister Sanjay Kumar Jha would attend the meet instead of Nitish Kumar.

Mallikarjun Kharge called for a meeting of the leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc to formulate a strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, the meeting was postponed after several leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, gave it a miss due to personal reasons or official commitments.

The meeting was called as the BJP secured landslide victories in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The saffron party dislodged the ruling Congress in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The grand old party, however, scored a consolation win as it won the Telangana assembly election, unseating the BRS from power.

INDIA is a coalition of big-tent political parties led by the Congress. It was formed to take on the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The alliance was formed during an Opposition party meeting in Bengaluru in July.