Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said he is not in the race for the Prime Ministerial candidate in 2019.

"Main nahin hoon 2019 mein PM pad ka dawedar," Nitish Kumar said at a press conference in Patna.

The JD-U leadership has been repeatedly projecting Nitish Kumar as the PM candidate of non-BJP parties in 2019.

In a reply to a question, Nitish asked whether PM Narendra Modi was known to everyone across the country five years ago. "Modi emerged as a PM candidate and won with the popular support of the people and today he is PM," said Nitish Kumar.

When asked about reports that some non -BJP parties are planning a grand alliance ahead of 2019, Nitish Kumar said there should be opposition unity at the national level. "Like Bihar's grand alliance, there is a need for unity of all non-BJP parties," he said.

Nitish, who is president of JD-U said only the future can tell who will be the prime ministerial candidate from the Opposition.

"The candidate will come before the people at the right time," he said.


-- MI Khan/Rediff.com