‘If Nitish were to become PM, numbers won’t be a problem’

Nitish Kumar

Reiterating that Nitish Kumar was "prime minister material", the JD(U) on Monday said it wasn't staking claim to the highest seat of power for the Bihar chief minister but "numbers" would be no problem if such a situation arose.

A statement to the effect was made by the party's parliamentary board chief Upendra Kushwaha, who testily brushed aside remarks by some leaders in the state BJP that one needed the support of 272 MPs to become the PM, and that the JD(U) was unlikely to win as many seats on its own.

"Kyun nahin ho sakta hai (why not)?" was Kushwaha's curt reply when asked if Kumar were to aim for the top post, would he be able to muster the requisite number in view of the limited reach of the JD(U), which has little presence outside Bihar. He, however, hastened to add "we aren't making a claim to the PM's post at present. We are with the NDA and acknowledge the leadership of Narendra Modi. But, if people talk about a hypothetical future, then nothing can be dismissed as impossible".

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