New Delhi: Power politics in Bihar heated up on Friday as Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar hinted at a attainable swap to the BJP-led NDA with former state deputy chief minister and BJP Rajya Sabha member Sushil Modi saying that “doors are never closed permanently” in politics. The rift between JD(U) and RJD turned evident when Kumar attended the excessive tea ceremony on the Raj Bhavan in Patna on the event of the Republic Day however his deputy Tejashwi Yadav gave it a miss. Kumar was seen mingling with different friends, together with BJP’s Vijay Kumar Sinha, who can also be the chief of the opposition within the state meeting.
Kumar tersely informed reporters that it was as much as Yadav and different leaders of the RJD, together with Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, to clarify why they skipped the operate. The solely outstanding attendee from the social gathering was state training minister Alok Mehta. Mehta or some other chief of the RJD didn’t touch upon the absence of Yadav, who, in response to sources, was assembly shut leaders of the social gathering at his residence to plan a technique to stop the lack of energy in case Kumar decides to finish the alliance.
“There is a lot of confusion which is not in the interest of the people of the state. Only the Chief Minister can clear the confusion. We hope he will do so…,” RJD nationwide spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar informed reporters.
When requested about Jha’s remarks, JD (U) chief spokesperson within the state, Neeraj Kumar hit again: “Our chief is within the Chief Minister’s residence because the chief of the Mahagathbandhan. There ought to be no scope for confusion. But if some folks nonetheless select to stay in confusion, we can’t assist it”.
BJP Keeps Mum On Nitish Likely Return To NDA
In Delhi, Modi mentioned “they (doors) open and close as per the necessity”, when requested by reporters concerning the BJP’s earlier stand that its doorways had been closed for Kumar perpetually after he broke ties with the social gathering in August 2022.
“As far as Kumar or the JD(U) are concerned, doors are never permanently closed in politics. Closed doors open when the time comes but whether they will open or not is for our central leadership to decide,” he asserted.
However, BJP sources declined to touch upon whether or not a choice has been taken to hitch fingers with the JD(U). Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda have been holding conferences over the developments in Bihar.
BJP leaders have additionally been in contact with allies equivalent to former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Chirag Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha.
Paswan and Kushwaha have a historical past of political antagonism in the direction of Kumar. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief, nonetheless, recommended that he would go by the choice taken by the BJP management.
Manjhi’s son, Santosh Kumar Suman, an MLC, mentioned the JD(U)-RJD-Congress authorities within the state could fall in a day or two. He, nonetheless, added that his social gathering has not acquired any categorical data from the BJP about Kumar’s possible return to the NDA. “It appears to me that this government will fall in a day or two,” he mentioned.
JD(U) Denies Rumours Of Nitish Exit From Mahagathbandhan
Meanwhile, State JD(U) president Umesh Singh Kushwaha in Patna mentioned, “all is well in Bihar’s ruling Mahagathbandhan and the media speculations are driven by some agenda.”
He additionally informed reporters that he “met the chief minister yesterday as well as today. It is a routine affair. There is no truth in the rumours doing the rounds. We also reject the rumours that party MLAs have been asked to rush to Patna.”
Kumar had joined fingers with RJD, based by his former arch-rival Lalu Prasad, in August 2022 after he severed ties with the BJP which he accused of getting tried to engineer a cut up within the JD(U).
The longest-serving CM of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, had launched a drive to unite all events, throughout the nation, to tackle the BJP that resulted within the formation of the opposition bloc INDIA. If Kumar decides to return to the NDA fold, the opposition united entrance can even undergo a serious blow.
Kumar had additionally nearly named Tejashwi Yadav as his successor, saying that the RJD chief would lead the Mahagathbandhan within the subsequent meeting polls, scheduled in 2025.
This had sparked resentment within the JD(U), inflicting a detailed aide like Upendra Kushwaha to go away the social gathering, type a brand new outfit and stroll again to the NDA fold.
JD(U)-RJD Mistrust
However, indicators of distrust between JD (U) and RJD turned apparent final month when Kumar formally took over because the social gathering president, changing Rajiv Ranjan Singh “Lalan” amid reviews of Lalan’s closeness with the RJD camp.
However, Lalan had claimed that he gave up the highest social gathering put up on his personal as a result of he needed to concentrate on Munger, his Lok Sabha seat, in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
BJP Divided Over Aligning With Kumar
A piece of BJP leaders from Bihar are, nonetheless, not eager on aligning with Kumar, claiming that his recognition is down and his diminishing credibility will damage their social gathering and go away the sector open to the RJD-led opposition to money in on the anti-incumbency towards him.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh, a staunch critic of Kumar, informed reporters that he’ll go by no matter choice the BJP management takes. “I am not welcoming nor am I against anyone. It is the decision of the central leadership. Whatever decision they take, I am sure it will be in the interest of the state and the party,” he mentioned to a query.
Asked if he was pleased about the potential of a contemporary BJP-JD(U) alliance, Singh mentioned, “I am neither happy nor unhappy. I am a worker of the party, I will abide by whatever decision is taken.”
However, with the Lok Sabha elections not far away, the prevailing view inside the social gathering seems to be that an alliance with Kumar will guarantee a near-repeat of the 2019 ballot outcomes when the NDA had received 39 of the full 40 seats within the state. An OBC consolidation, within the occasion of JD(U) and RJD remaining collectively, would make Bihar a troublesome problem for the saffron social gathering.
Nitish Kumar Unhappy With INDIA Bloc
Moreover, Kumar has additionally been voicing his anguish over the way in which issues had been unfolding within the INDIA coalition, through which he was not supplied the put up of convenor till final month when he turned it down.
Kumar has maintained that he has “no personal ambitions” whereas remaining essential of the “delay” in arriving at a seat-sharing deal. BJP’s state president Samrat Choudhary meets Amit Shah, hints at conferences amongst state leaders
BJP’s state president Samrat Choudhary, who met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi Thursday night, mentioned the discussions had been across the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and indicated that there might be conferences among the many state leaders within the coming days.
