Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said his support for the Centre’s demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes was leading his opponents to try and “politically assassinate” him, The Indian Express reported. On November 25, the Janata Dal (United) leader had referred to the exercise against black money as a “courageous move”, though he said poor execution had inconvenienced the common man.

“Just because we are supporting the National Democratic Alliance on the note bad does mean that we are getting close to the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Kumar told a meeting of JD(U) legislators in Patna. The party was opposing the BJP “on matters of intolerance and not respecting the federal structure”, Kumar told the legislators. His support for the move to discontinue the high-value currency notes is unconditional, he added.

Even though JD(U) ally the Rashtriya Janata Dal did not attend Monday’s protests against demonetisation, Kumar’s support for the move has been discussed by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, according to NDTV. Both parties have been critical of the government’s decision, with the Congress accusing the Narendra Modi-led administration of triggering “financial anarchy” in the country.