It is time for a united Opposition: Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday met Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and emphasised that a united Opposition is the need of hour.

It is time for the Left parties, Congress and all regional parties to come together to form a united Opposition, Kumar told reporters after meeting CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury at the party office.

"I have had a long association with the CPI-M from my younger days. You all have not seen me, but whenever I used to come to Delhi, I used to come to this office. Today we are again all together. Our entire focus is to unite all Left parties, the regional parties, Congress. This will be a big deal if all of us come together," he said.

Asked about his aspirations to be prime minister, Kumar said, "This is wrong. I am not a claimant for the post, nor am I desirous of it."

According to Yechury, Kumar returning to the Opposition fold and his desire to be part of the fight against the BJP is a great signal for Indian politics.

"First, the agenda is to unite all parties, not to decide on the PM candidate. When the time comes we will decide the PM candidate and let you all know," he said.

What is the Bihar model? We are working to build the model of the country, said Bihar CM Nitish Kumar when asked if they would implement the Bihar model across the nation.

The JD-U leader, who severed his party's ties with the BJP-led NDA last month, later met CPI general secretary D Raja.

We welcome the way in which he broke with BJP and joined the secular democratic forces, Mahagathbandhan in Bihar. Development in Bihar doesn't confine to Bihar alone, it has a huge impact on the political course of the country, said CPI leader D Raja, with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, in Delhi

"Time has come that all secular democratic parties, Left parties, and regional parties must come together and fight unitedly to defeat BJP, in the interest of the country and its future. That's what Nitish ji has been trying. We're with him, he's with us, said D Raja.

Kumar, who came to New Delhi on Monday, met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Janata Dal (Secular) chief H D Kumaraswamy.

He is also likely to meet other opposition leaders, including NCP's Sharad Pawar, AAP's Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav and INLD's Om Prakash Chautala.