Congress today gave a call to all secular parties to unite under Nitish Kumar for contesting the Bihar Assembly election later this year.
"Nitish Kumar's image is good and he has set a track record for development during his tenure. It is high time that all secular forces unite under his leadership so that their votes do not get divided and benefit rival parties like BJP," Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) Chief Spokesperson H K Verma said.
"Time is less and all the secular forces should talk among themselves and decide about Nitish Kumar's leadership for the Assembly polls scheduled later this year," he said.
Congress is supporting the JD(U) government in the state from outside and was part of secular alliance that won six out of 10 seats that went for bypoll last year merely three months after massive victory of NDA in Bihar last year.
The Congress leader said Kumar has set an example among the leaders of the country by owning moral responsibility for JD (U)'s poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls last year and resigning from the Chief Minister's post. It could win only two seats of a total of 40.
On speculation and uncertainty over Jitan Ram Manjhi continuing as the Chief Minister of Bihar, Verma said, "Such a situation is creating doubts among the public and should be solved as soon as possible.
"The uncertainty over Manjhi and the current political wrangling in the state does not augur well. It is spreading doubt in people's mind and communal forces could take advantage of it. Though it is an internal matter of JD(U), it should be solved at first instance," he said.
"Bihar was ahead of all other states in economic growth when Nitish Kumar was the Chief Minister. It will be good if the secular forces in the state fight the next Assembly polls under his leadership," senior Bihar Congress leader Vinod Sharma said.
"Doubts and uncertainty are cropping up among the people due to the present political scenario over the future of Manjhi as the CM. This is not good for unity of secular forces. JD(U) should quickly decide on the fate of Manjhi," he added.
