Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said history will not judge Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar kindly and his exit from the INDIA bloc was a major setback to the opposition alliance. The AAP leader was recently released on regular bail in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case by the Supreme Court.

On INDIA bloc and Nitish Kumar

Sanjay Singh said the biggest setback faced by the INDIA bloc so far was Nitish Kumar’s exit. In an interview, Singh said, “Nitish Kumar ji’s departure was completely unexpected. He was going from one place to another to bring opposition parties together and he then joined NDA. Switching positions in this manner impacts your image. You may be able to get power and some benefits in the short term, I don’t deny that. But if you switch sides over and over again, history will not judge you kindly. You can be remembered either as coward or as courageous.”

We need to work harder because our chief is in jail: AAP’s Sanjay Singh

On the INDIA bloc in Delhi, Sanjay Singh said the Congress should declare candidates soon so that the campaign can start at the earliest. The AAP and the Congress also need to sit together and formulate a common minimum programme, he said.

On Mamata Banerjee’s decision to go solo in West Bengal, Sanjay Singh said she was not with the BJP, unlike Nitish Kumar. “The result in Bengal will be good and the INDIA bloc will benefit from it,” he said.

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Will Sunita Kejriwal lead AAP in husband’s absence?

‘No,’ Sanjay Singh said emphasising that Kejriwal will remain the party convener and the chief minister. “She [Sunita Kejriwal] is the one who is able to interact with Arvind Kejriwal because he is in jail. Kejriwal’s messages are reaching the party through her. If the court allows, more lines of communication may open with Kejriwal. Currently, the party is facing a tough time. The party is focused on the campaign for its candidates,” Sanjay Singh said.