Lohia followers themselves to blame for losing mandate: Nitish

It is the followers of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia themselves who failed to hold on to the mandate which was given to them by the people of India, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Saturday.

“People gave mandate in favour of Lohia’s ideology on three occasions — in 1967, 1977 and 1989. But we (the followers of Lohia) are no less responsible for failing to hold on to that mandate,” Mr. Kumar said at a book release here.

Mr. Kumar considers the socialist leader to be his ideological guru.

Anti-Congress dispensations formed the government in several states in 1967, while similar formations came to power at the Centre in 1977 and 1989. But those governments did not last long, Mr. Kumar noted.

He was speaking at the launch of the book, ‘Haashiye Par Padi Duniya’, by Balkrishna Gupta.

In an apparent reference to the BJP prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, Mr. Kumar said the latter had been making baseless allegations against him.

“I was alleged of enjoying food at the JD(U) convention in Rajgir on the day explosions took place in Patna,” he said, adding that “they accused me of lowering the dignity of politics when it was proved that I was in Patna”.

Mr. Kumar said that BJP “wants people to accept whatever they are saying, right or wrong”.