Nitish should stop daydreaming, no vacancy in 2024: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar needs to realise that there is “no vacancy” for the country’s top post in 2024 as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return to power for yet another term in office, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed on Saturday.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar needs to realise that there is "no vacancy" for the country's top post in 2024 as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return to power for yet another term in office, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed on Saturday.

Mr. Prasad was responding to queries at a press conference at the Bihar BJP headquarters here on the eve of the 100th episode of the PM's 'Mann Ki Baat' radio broadcast.

"Is there any bar on daydreaming in this country?" Mr. Prasad remarked quizzically when his attention was drawn to Mr. Kumar's efforts to forge opposition unity as part of which a meeting of leaders opposed to the BJP is likely to be convened in the city in the future.

"But I wish to remind Nitish babu with utmost humility that this is not the era of H.D. Deve Gowda and Inder Kumar Gujaral. The nation now wants a stable government and a towering leader (mahaan neta)," said the former Union Minister.

"Nitish babu needs to remember that there is no vacancy for the Prime Minister's post in 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done a lot for the people of this country and he will continue to receive their blessings," said Mr. Prasad, who is also the Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib.

Mr. Prasad also assailed the Nitish Kumar government over the controversial amendment in jail rules that helped Anand Mohan, a gangster-turned-politician serving life sentence for killing an IAS officer, walk out of jail earlier this week after 15 years.

"I wish to know why in the first place the clause of keeping those accused of killing government servants on duty out of the purview of remission of sentence was introduced," he said.