Nitish Kumar asks Akhilesh Yadav to come out of family shadow

RAJGIR: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today made an overture to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Akhilesh Yadav, who is locked in a family feud, to enforce prohibition which he said will help him come out of the "family shadow" and win the state Assembly elections.

"There is a saying in English--No risk, No gain... you are young... take a risk (of implementing prohibition) to come out of the family shadow and ensure victory in elections," Kumar said delivering his maiden speech as JD(U) national president here in Bihar's Nalanda district.

"You take the risk and I will strongly back you," said Kumar, who has made eight trips to UP in recent months with the message of prohibition and wants to play a significant role in the crucial Assembly polls there early next year by bringing together a strong grouping of secular forces.

Coming down heavily on Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Kumar said "We had offered him the post of president in the reunited Janata Parivar and also the head of the group in Parliament. But, he walked out and the role he played in Bihar elections, it seems brought him a curse, which has been manifested in the intense feud in his party."

Kumar was speaking at the plenary session of the two-day JD(U) national council meeting which ended today. His appointment as JD(U) president was ratified by the council in which over 170 delegates from 23 states participated.

Kumar told party workers from across the country that the message of prohibition was a "positive agenda" to build a national alternative to the present dispensation at the Centre, which rode to power on the basis of "advertisement".