Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao came flying to Bihar on Wednesday and met his counterpart Nitish Kumar with a message of Opposition unity to ensure a “BJP-mukta Bharat (BJP-free India)”.

He asserted that it was necessary to save the country from communally divisive forces.The two leaders had a long meeting over lunch at the chief minister’s secretariat in the state capital at which they deliberated over several pertinent issues plaguing the country and the way forward to tackle them. Both of them arrived at the conclusion that it was high time to come together to successfully stop the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“I talked to my elder brother Nitish Kumar. We have understood and agreed on one thing. We have to anyhow expel the BJP government from the Centre. Both of us want the entire Opposition to unite to achieve a BJP -mukta Bharat. We will try our best for such unity,” said Rao, flanked by Nitish.Rao asserted that if the Opposition unites, it should not be called the ‘third front’, to which Nitish said, “It will be the main front, not the third front.”

Minister resigns

Kidnapping case accused law minister Kartik Kumar on Wednesday handed over his resignation to Nitish Kumar, who forwarded it to the governor. Earlier, Nitish had transferred him from the law to the sugarcane industries department. Kartik is an accused in the kidnapping of a builder in 2014 in Patna district and was asked by the trial court to surrender on August 16. However, he obtained a ‘no coercion’ order from another court till September 1. The BJP had been attacking Nitish for retaining him as minister.