Damage control: Rahul Gandhi calls up Nitish Kumar to resolve issues

Patna, Dec 22: With Bihar CM Nitish Kumar seeming miffed post the fourth meeting of INDIA bloc, Congress top leader Rahul Gandhi called him on Friday and discussed various issues, including the prime ministerial candidate of the alliance.

Gandhi's move is seen as damage control in wake of the INDIA bloc meeting where the proposal to make Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge the prime ministerial candidate did not seem to sit well with Nitish Kumar.

Sources have said that Gandhi, in the interaction, clarified that the Congress has not discussed whether Kharge would be the prime ministerial candidate as it was Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal who proposed his name. The Congress stand is that the Prime Minister will be decided post the Lok Sabha election.

Gandhi also talked about the cabinet expansion in Bihar and Nitish Kumar reportedly said that he is ready for the cabinet expansion but RJD leaders Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav are not ready and he is ready to give space to Congress leaders in the cabinet.

Gandhi also informed him that no major decision of the INDIA bloc would not be taken without him.