Nitish Kumar says BJP has mastered politics of 31% votes

PATNA: Lambasting BJP for "mastering politics of 31 per cent votes where the rest do not matter", senior JD(U) leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said every citizen should be an equal stakeholder and that he "aspired to make this happen".

"The BJP has mastered the politics of 31 per cent votes where the rest do not matter. However, in a vibrant India, every citizen must remain an equal stakeholder. I aspire to make this happen," Kumar said on a social networking site.

"India stands at a critical juncture in its progress as a democracy. The nation needs a strong opposition that can voice the idea and aspiration of India, which BJP cannot appreciate and represent," Kumar added.

The senior JD(U) leader said this before leaving for Thrissur in Kerala to attend a convention during which Socialist Janata (Democratic) headed by former Union Minister M P Veerendra Kumar will be merged into Janata Dal (United) tomorrow.

The merger is being touted as the precursor to the unification of six parties who came into existence after breaking away from Janata Dal formed by former prime minister V P Singh in 1988.

The six parties are JD(U), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Indian National Lok Dal, Janata Dal (Secular) and Samajwadi Janata Party (SJP).