Bihar CM Nitish Kumar evades question on banning Bajrang Dal in state

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday parried a question on the demand for a ban on Bajrang Dal in the state, which has been raised by one of his close aides even as his ally Congress has promised the same in poll-bound Karnataka.

The JD(U) supreme leader was asked about a recent statement by party MP Kaushalendra Kumar, who represents his home district of Nalanda in the Lok Sabha, who has favoured a ban on Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, an RSS-affiliate.

"We are working towards uniting all opposition parties. Once that is achieved, we would all sit together and come out with a common agenda. Until then, I do not wish to speak on such matters", the chief minister told reporters.

His party MP's demand came in the backdrop of the Congress' promise, in the manifesto for Karnataka assembly polls, to ban Bajrang Dal upon being voted to power. This has enraged the BJP, the political offshoot of the RSS, and invited criticism from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Nalanda MP had blamed the Bajrang Dal for recent communal tension in Bihar Sharif, where the district is headquartered.

Kumar also expressed "surprise" over reports in a section of the media that he will be in Odisha on Friday to meet his counterpart Naveen Patnaik who has remained equidistant from Congress and BJP.

"I have met many leaders and will meet some more. But that is not going to happen very soon", said the JD(U) supremo who has hinted that he would like to resume his opposition unity drive once the polls in Karnataka were over.

Kumar, who broke away with the BJP in August last year, fondly recalled the prime ministerial tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in whose cabinet he had held key portfolios.

"Revered (shraddhey) Atal ji cared for all and while he was at the helm of affairs there was no major Hindu-Muslim problem. I had a tough time convincing him to accept my resignation, as Railway Minister, in the wake of a major accident", said Kumar.

He added, "today, nobody resigns (on moral grounds). The current dispensation has scant respect for even Atal ji since it likes to claim all credit for itself".