Will return to Brazil in March to lead opposition, defend myself, says former president Bolsonaro

New Delhi: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro plans to return to Brazil in March to lead the political opposition to leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and defend himself against accusations that he fomented post-election riots in the country. In his first interview since he left Brazil for Florida late last year, he told WSJ, “ The right-wing movement is not dead and will live on ." He pledged to work with supporters in Congress and state legislatures to advance what he called pro-business measures and combat legislation that he believes is anti-family values, such as abortion and gun control. Da Silva has pledged to significantly expand Brazil’s social safety net for the poor and increase the state’s role in the economy, measures that Bolsonaro and his allies say would overburden Latin America’s biggest country with debt and scare away foreign investment. ‘Process was biased’ Bolsonaro, who hasn’t conceded defeat, appeared to moderate his criticism of the election outcome. “Losing is part of the electoral process,” he said. “I’m not saying there was fraud, but the process was biased,” he was quoted as saying by WSJ. Prosecutors in Brazil claim that Bolsonaro’s social media remarks about voter fraud caused violence on 8 January when large crowds surrounded the Congress and the Supreme Court in the Brazilian capital, many of whom declared their support for Bolsonaro. Prosecutors investigating Bolsonaro’s role in the riots declined to comment on his plans to return to Brazil. Bolsonaro leaves for US Former Brazilian president had left the country for the United States, avoiding the inauguration of incoming President da Silva, who defeated him in the country’s October elections. Before he left, he gave a final address to his followers, some of whom pushed for a military coup in the aftermath of his election loss.

The 67-year-old ex-president arrived in the US on a diplomatic visa and has spent more than a month in Florida at the homes of friends, one of whom is a Brazilian martial-arts expert.

During his sojourn, Bolsonaro has posted on social media videos of himself wandering around supermarkets, getting a haircut and eating at KFC and other fast-food restaurants.

Bolsonaro, who was in Florida when the riots occurred , said he is innocent of any wrongdoing and said he welcomed an investigation of the January events. “I wasn’t even there, and they want to pin it on me!” he said. He said he was dismayed by the violence, which he condemned at the time in a post on Twitter. But he said it was wrong to say that the attacks amounted to an attempt to overthrow da Silva’s government. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.