In an apparent show of strength, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called a legislative party gathering of his MLAs on Tuesday as Bihar politics heated up amid rumors of a split between NDA partners BJP and JD-U.
Political corridors were still buzzing today with rumors of a "big political development in Bihar soon," a day after Nitish skipped an NITI Aayog meeting that was presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demonstrating the growing divide between him and the BJP.
Leaders of the RJD declared that if Nitish severed connections with the BJP, they would "embrace" him. What other option do we have if Nitish leaves the NDA but to accept him? Fighting the BJP is a top priority for the RJD. We will have to bring the CM with us if he decides to join the struggle, RJD's Shivanand Tiwary was quoted as saying. Tomorrow in Patna, the opposition parties RJD and Congress will also meet with their respective MLAs. According to Tiwary, the meetings were a blatant indication that the situation was extraordinary. When an Assembly session is not imminent, "we cannot ignore the fact that both parties (JD-U and RJD), which together have the numbers for a majority, have convened meetings," he stated.
JD-U national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lalan Singh, attacked LJP leader Chirag Paswan and former Union Minister RCP Singh, labelling the two as "two conspiracies hatched against Nitish in recent past."
Observers claim that Nitish's "display of strength" was also intended to determine the number of MLAs who were supporting him amid claims that the BJP was attempting to split the JD-U with the aid of RCP Singh in a manner similar to the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. "RJD and Congress are also concerned for their MLAs, in addition to JD-U. Since Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda visited Patna a few days ago, the atmosphere has been rather active, they claimed.
Instead of accusing Nitish of being part of a plot, Chirag dared him to confront the BJP head-on while state BJP leaders have remained silent. Chirag ran his own candidates in seats contested by the JD-U in the most recent Assembly elections, costing Nitish electoral victories.
Shakil Ahmed Khan, a Congress MLA, described the changes as "a welcome sign." Lalu Prasad and his family were accused of corruption, which led to Nitish Kumar rejoining the NDA in 2017. RJD leader Tiwary stated: "In politics, we cannot remain prisoners of the past. The BJP, which has grown into a titan, wants to overturn the Constitution. We must respond to the difficulties.
