Bihar friction widens, day after JD(U) alleged plots against Nitish
Amid clear signs of turbulence in the BJP-JD(U) tie-up, the RJD and JD(U) Monday called for separate meetings of their MLAs in Patna. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), a constituent of the NDA, is also holding a meeting of its MLAs.
The calls for the meetings followed a phone call Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reportedly had with Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
On Sunday, the JD(U) had hinted at a BJP hand in “conspiracies” against the Nitish government, and said that nothing was final on a tie-up between the two for future elections. Nitish also skipped a meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
JD(U) sources said all its 45 legislators would meet on Tuesday at the CM’s residence. The RJD has also directed all its 79 MLAs to be in Patna by Monday night, to be able to attend Tuesday’s meeting called by Tejashwi Yadav.
The JD(U) and RJD have given signs of cosying up. There have been no attacks on the other by either side, and in a rare show of camaraderie, Nitish had seen Tejashwi, Leader of the Opposition, out till the CM’s House gates, after an Iftaar party.
On Sunday, asked about Tejashwi’s campaign against the Central government over inflation, the JD(U) said he was well within his rights to do so.
At the press conference, addressed by JD(U) national president Lalan Singh, the party had also underlined lingering rancour over the R C P Singh episode by saying the party would not join the Union Cabinet.
While there is no immediate trigger for the JD(U)’s discomfiture with the BJP, tension has been building up for over two months on issues such as the constant denial of its demand for a special category status for Bihar.
The absence of Nitish’s name from the invites sent out by the Assembly Speaker, belonging to the BJP, for Vidhan Sabha centenary celebrations was also seen by the JD(U) as a snub.
The BJP’s two-day national meeting held in Patna was not viewed kindly by the JD(U) either, especially over the issues raised. The BJP though had made a point of emphasising that it would go with the JD(U) in the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2025 Assembly polls.
JD(U) sources claimed evidence that “the BJP had been trying to make an Eknath Shinde out of R C P Singh”. Once Nitish’s No. 2, Singh had joined the Modi Cabinet reportedly without the Bihar CM’s nod, and now finds himself out of Parliament and the party. He quit the JD(U) on Saturday amidst allegations by the party over the purchase of 47 land plots by his family between 2013 and 2022.
The RJD, meanwhile, is keeping its fingers crossed. All eyes are now on the roles of the Speaker and Governor should the JD(U) take the extreme step of breaking ties with the BJP.
Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha is down with Covid.
Source:indianexpress.com