'The Unstable Prime Ministerial Candidate': Posters Targeting Nitish Kumar Put Up In Bengaluru

Posters targeting Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were set up across Benglaguru on Monday, ahead of the Opposition parties meet in the city.

The posters were set up at Bengaluru's Chalukya Circle, Windsor manor bridge and on the Airport road near Hebbal.

One of the posters read: "Welcome to Shri Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister, Government of Bihar. Sultanganj Bridge, Nitish Kumar's gift to Bihar that keeps collapsing. While bridges in Bihar cannot withstand his reign, count on him to lead the 'Opposition Party' campaign."

Another poster said: "The unstable Prime Ministerial contender. Bangalore rolls out the Red Carpet for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. First date of Sultanganj bridge collapse - April 2022. Second date of Sultanganj bridge collapse - June 2023."

Reacting to the posters, Hindustani Awam Morcha Jitan Ram Manjhi said Nitish Kumar has proven to be a great failure.

"In his homeland, Nitish Kumar has proven to be a great failure - be it corruption, development, wastage of reserves, exploitation of the poor in the social sector...He is a big failure. If he is made the convener, I would pray for some wisdom to them," he said.

Police takes down posters

On Tuesday, Bengaluru Police personnel removed the posters targeting Nitish Kumar from Bengaluru's Chalukya Circle.

So why Nitish is the target?

In recent months, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, leader of Janata Dal (United), has been engaging in one-on-one meetings with various party chiefs to foster Opposition unity for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha battle.

His efforts have yielded results, as 16 major political parties convened at Nitish Kumar's OFFICIAL bungalow in Patna last month, despite their differences on various issues.

Despite some reservations and disagreements among certain parties, the prospect of Opposition unity seems increasingly likely. This raises the question: What role will Nitish Kumar play in the alliance of opposition parties in the days to come?

The poster war

The poster war had actually begun back in Patna in June itself.

As Rahul Gandhi arrived in Patna for the mega opposition meet, posters taking pot-shot at the Gandhi scion were seen outside the office of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar.

Incorporating the famous dialogue from the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer film, the posters mocked the Congress leader as real-life 'Devdas'.

"Mamata didi asked to leave Bengal, Kejriwal asked to leave Delhi and Punjab...that day is not far when everyone will ask Congress (Rahul) to leave politics," the poster read.

Another poster in Patna showcased Arvind Kejriwal as a potential candidate for prime minister in the 2024 elections.

Posters depicting Bihar CM Nitish Kumar alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, referring to them as an alternate team within the BJP also surfaced.