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NEW DELHI: Is politics in Bihar set for another churn ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections? There are many TV reports claiming that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar may switch sides once again amid indications that all is not well in Bihar’s ruling Mahagathbandhan, which also includes Lalu Prasad‘s Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress.
Centre’s decision to confer Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur could perhaps become the trigger point for Nitish Kumar’s possible return to the NDA fold.The JD(U) chief has literally oscillated like a pendulum between the BJP and the RJD in the last 11 years, earning the dubious distinction of being called “Paltu Ram” of Bihar politics.
Thursday saw hectic developments in Bihar with both Nitish and Lalu meeting their party leaders in Patna and the BJP summoning its state leaders to the national capital. BJP Bihar president Samrat Chaudhary and party leader Sushil Modi are likely to meet Union home minister Amit Shah, news agency ANI said quoting sources. However, leaders of both RJD and JD(U) have denied reports of any rift in the Grand Alliance.
Nitish Kumar has been unhappy with the opposition INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc over the delay in formalising seat-sharing for upcoming Lok Sabha elections. JD(U) is also unhappy that Nitish Kumar, who played a key role in stitching the opposition alliance as a founder leader, was not declared the convener of INDIA. The JD(U) leaders have openly objected to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the leader of the alliance and have demanded that Nitish be projected as prime minister candidate.
Nitish Kumar’s thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Centre’s honour to Karpoori Thakur and his remarks on dynasty politics has fuelled speculations about a possible rift in the Bihar’s ruling alliance.
At a party rally organised to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of his ideologue and mentor Karpoori Thakur, Nitish Kumar thanked Prime Minister for the award even as he took a dig at the BJP over the decision ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
“I was told by Ramnath Thakur, my party colleague and the late leader’s son, that the Prime Minister had called him up after the announcement. The PM has not called me so far. It is possible that he may claim full credit for the move. Be that as it may, I thank the PM and his government for fulfilling a demand I have been raising since I assumed power in Bihar,” Nitish Kumar said.
The Bihar chief minister then went on to highlight the stand of Karpoori Thakur on dynasty politics.
“You all should remember that among other things, Karpoori Thakur will be remembered for never using his clout to promote his family. A marked contrast from many leaders of our times. I have drawn inspiration from him. You all know that I have never sought to promote any family members of mine,” said the longest-serving CM of Bihar.
Nitish Kumar’s remarks were seen by some as an attack on his ally Lalu Prasad whose wife and three children are in active politics. While Rabri served as the chief minister of Bihar when Lalu had to go to jail in fodder scam, his younger son Tejashwi Yadav is the deputy chief minister of Bihar. Lalu’s elder son Tej Pratap is a minister in the Bihar government and his daughter Misa Bharti is a member of Rajya Sabha.
JD(U) was quick to clarify that Nitish Kumar’s remarks were not directed at Lalu Prasad. “Socialist leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia had fought a hard battle against Jawaharlal Nehru and, later, against Indira Gandhi. Therefore, most leaders from the socialist bloc are bitter about dynasty rule in politics. This was also the case with Karpoori Thakur, whom Nitish Kumar idolises. And this was the point our leader tried to make at yesterday’s rally,” said KC Tyagi, who is the political adviser and spokesperson of JD(U).
Tyagi also denied that Nitish Kumar had praised the Prime Minister. “Nitish Kumar had appreciated the fulfillment of a long-standing demand and not showered praise on the PM. Kumar’s expression of gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for conferring Bharat Ratna on Karpoori Thakur did not amount to a “prashansa” (praise),” the JD(U) leader said.
However, a cryptic post by Lalu’s daughter, which was eventually deleted, seemed to suggest that Nitish Kumar’s remarks did not go down well with the RJD. Rohini Acharya, the second daughter of Lalu Prasad, put up three posts which did not name anyone, but appeared targeted towards Nitish Kumar.
Though Rohini Acharya deleted the posts after a couple of hours but it was good enough to show the point of view of the Lalu family on the ongoing tussle between them and Nitish Kumar.
“Some people declare themselves as socialist stalwarts but their ideology changes like the wind,” she said in a post. In another post, she said “some people do not do any introspection on their shortcomings, and fling mud on others.”
The posts were deleted within hours, but not before giving a hint at the bitterness between the two alliance partners. Has Nitish Kumar reached the point of no return with RJD and Congress? Well we will have to wait and see how the events unfold. But one thing is sure, given Nitish Kumar’s past track record on changing sides, a return to the past could not be a surprise. After all, there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics.