As Nitish fumes over Cong approach to INDIA, Lalu in damage control mode
Patna, Nov 5: The political situation in Bihar is on the boil thanks to the developments of the last couple of days.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed anger against the Congress party at a CPI rally on October 2. Following that RJD leaders Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav went to the CM's residence on Friday evening to meet Nitish Kumar. Also, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is coming to Muzaffarpur for a rally on November 5 to target six districts of Tirhut division.
The details of the meeting between Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar did not come in the public domain but the way the former went to the residence of the latter clearly suggests that Lalu Prasad wanted to repair the damage with the Congress party for the unity of the INDIA alliance.
Nitish Kumar during the CPI rally in Patna said: ““We have formed INDIA to uproot the BJP from the country but the work is not taking place. The Congress party is busy in assembly elections in five states. After the results from the five states, we will sit together and plan the next course of action against the BJP.”
The CPI had organized a rally with the tag line “BJP Hatao Desh Bachao” in Patna where Nitish Kumar was invited.
There is no doubt that Nitish Kumar was the architect of the INDIA bloc. He was the one who met several opposition leaders and invited the leaders of 26 parties to Patna. Nitish Kumar was expecting that the opposition leaders would make him the convener of INDIA so that his chances of becoming the prime ministerial candidate in the Lok Sabha election 2024 become brighter. However, the Congress party was not enthusiastic. Its attitude was also reflected in the seat sharing for the MP assembly election where the Congress did not give any space to the JD-U or the Samajwadi Party. As a result, Nitish Kumar and Akhilesh Yadav vented their anger from public platforms.
For the Congress, Lalu Prasad is a more trusted and tested alliance partner than Nitish Kumar. The grand old party, after its thumping victories in the Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka assembly elections, is full of confidence. It is focusing on the elections in five states and if the results go their way, it would automatically shift the momentum in its favour.
“There is no doubt that anger is developing in the mind of leaders like Nitish Kumar and Akhilesh Yadav, especially when the Congress is not looking at the unity of the INDIA bloc. No work on INDIA is taking place these days and it is a matter of concern for every alliance partner. We are not looking at those states where the Congress is in a direct fight with the BJP but the leaders of the grand old party have paid attention to states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal etc. It seems to be a communication gap between the Congress leaders and the leaders of the alliance parties of INDIA,” Shivanand Tiwari, the national vice president of the RJD, told IANS.
“Nitish Kumar is angry but it does not mean a split would take place in the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar. Lalu Prasad Yadav met Nitish Kumar for regular interaction. Whenever any such meeting took place, people started making negative speculation. These two leaders are old friends and they used to meet from time to time to discuss various issues,” Tiwari said.
Nitish Kumar is known as a master of pressure politics in the country and his stand on November 2 during the CPI rally was a prime example of it. Due to the stand of Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad met him and spent around 40 minutes at the CM's residence on Friday evening.
However, the RJD leaders are claiming that the meeting between Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar was a routine one but the way Nitish Kumar reacted on November 2 from the public platform, it certainly gave an impression that Lalu Prasad went to his house to pacify Nitish Kumar. Sources said that Lalu Prasad convinced him to mend fences with the Congress and it was visible when Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge interacted with Nitish Kumar on Saturday over the phone.
Sources said that Kharge and NItish Kumar spoke for around half an hour.
Bihar is crucial for both the Congress and the BJP as there are 40 Lok Sabha seats here. The Congress, after losing the government in Maharashtra which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, cannot afford to lose another important state.
Such a situation actually suits the BJP as the leaders of the saffron brigade always look to coming into power like they did in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
“The Bihar chief minister has opened the front against the Congress. He is slowly understanding the Congress party. He was the one who started the opposition unity moves in the country but he is destroyed now. He is sidelined in INDIA. As a result, he is criticizing the Mahagathbandhan at the state level and INDIA at the national level,” said Nityanand Rai, MoS home and MP from Ujiarpur in Bihar.
The BJP leaders are looking for a chance in Bihar after the stand of Nitish Kumar. As a result, Union Home Minister Amit Shah who is busy campaigning for his party in the assembly elections, is coming to Muzaffarpur for a rally on November 5.