BJP flays JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar for not accepting defeat as setback for alliance

PATNA: BJP today criticised JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar for refusing to accept as setback the Jharkhand debacle for the secular alliance and said the saffron party would repeat the good performance in Bihar in the Assembly polls next year.

"It is wrong to say that there was no alliance between RJD, JD(U) and Congress in Jharkhand. Except for 2-3 seats where they were engaged in friendly fights, the alliance fought unitedly but failed to win any seat," Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav told reporters.

"The grand alliance by bringing together members of old 'Janata Parivar' including RJD and JD(U) had taken shape and leaders were propagating its advantages to people," he said.

Yadav said BJP was benefiting from Nitish Kumar's "suicidal" step to restore friendship with Lalu Prasad's RJD.

Had Kumar's JD(U) fought alone it could have won 1-2 seat in Jharkhand, he said.

The senior BJP leader said that victory in Jharkhand indicated that the common man had faith in the saffron party under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the same result would be witnessed in Bihar in the polls next year.

When asked about the poor showing by JD(U), RJD and Congress in Jharkhand, Kumar had yesterday said, "I was not expecting much in the absence of any perfect alliance among us."