Big Disclosure: INDI Offered 'PM Post' to Nitish Kumar, JDU Top Leader Says 'We Declined Offer'

New Delhi: As Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA is all set to form the government at the Centre on June 9 with Janata Dal (United) (JD(U) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) among the major parties under its fold, JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s top aide KC Tyagi has made big revelations, stating that the Opposition INDI bloc had approached their party a few days ago in a bid to turn the events in their favour and form an INDI govt at the Centre.

KC Tyagi, the Chief General Secretary and National Spokesperson of JD(U), claimed that a few leaders from their INDI bloc had approached his party with a proposal to make Nitish Kumar as the Prime Minister if he joined the INDI Alliance but they refused to join hands with them.

Speaking exclusively to Republic Media Network, the JD(U) leader said, "The INDI bloc leaders, which initially didn’t agree on making Nitish Kumar the convener of the alliance, were proposing to make Nitish Kumar the Prime Minister if he came under the alliance fold, after the poll results.”

“This happened a day before yesterday. The INDI bloc kept luring Nitish Kumar with this offer until he extended his support (to NDA) yesterday. We declined the offer since Kumar fought the elections with the intention of remaining with NDA. The events that unfolded this week indicate that JD(U) has a significant role in the oath-taking ceremony and we have put a full stop on such rumours from the first day,” he added while choosing to not disclose the names of the leaders and party that approached the JD(U).

On Friday morning, newly-elected lawmakers of the BJP-led NDA elected Narendra Modi as their leader, paving the way for him to take oath as Prime Minister for third consecutive term.

The NDA tally currently stands at 293, comfortably above the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lower House. The BJP secured victory in 240 out of 543 seats, while the Congress improved its national tally by claiming 99 seats. Though the Lok Sabha has 543 members, counting was held for 542 seats following the unopposed election of BJP's Surat candidate, Mukesh Dalal.