On Friday, RJD MP Manoj Jha urged Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to “resolve the confusion” around the state’s mahagatbandhan, and clarify what his plan is. “I request the CM to resolve this confusion by evening...all these questions over the alliance is causing disturbance in everyone’s lives. Everything is clear on our end, but the mahagatbandhan’s leader should clarify things, I request him with folded hands,” Jha said.
Jha’s statement came around the same time that CM Kumar was attending an official event at Raj Bhavan in Patna, where notably, deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav was missing. While leaving, when Kumar was asked why Yadav wasn’t present in the meeting, the leader said “Ask those who did not come (jo nahin aaye unse puchhiye)”.
The event, which Yadav skipped, was an official one in celebration of the Republic Day. While some other RJD leaders were present, like minister Alok Kumar Mehta, the deputy CM was conspicuous by his absence.
This combined with Jha’s statement, has contributed to the growing speculation around Kumar’s potential turn around to join hands with the BJP, yet again.
Battle of Tweets
The speculation over Kumar's changing loyalties began when on Wednesday, the CM addressed a rally and spoke of socialist icon Karpoori Thakur, who earlier this week was conferred a Bharat Ratna posthumously.
While addressing the rally, Kumar criticised dynastic politics, saying the JD(U) followed the path shown by Thakur by not promoting anyone from their families in the party ranks.
The comment was seen as a potshot on RJD, an ally of the JD(U) in Bihar's Mahagathbandhan government, in which former CM Lalu Yadav's sons are ministers. Lalu Yadav's younger son Tejashwi Yadav is the Deputy Chief Minister and the elder son Tej Pratap Yadav is a minister in the state cabinet. The RJD chief's eldest daughter Misa Bharti is a Rajya Sabha member.
Seeing Kumar’s statements as a personal attack, Lalu Yadav’s second daughter Rohini Acharya, took to social media to deliver a response.
Acharya wrote on X:
"Often, people cannot see their own shortcomings but continue to throw mud at others with impudence... What outrage will there be when someone undeserving is given prominence? Who can question the method when there is deceit in one's own intentions?”
Acharya subsequently deleted the tweets, but it had cause quite a ripple in Bihar politics by then.
Bihar BJP leader Nikhil Anand stepped into the fray and asked Acharya to apologise for her words. “These are like an arrow released from the bow,” Anand wrote.
That BJP is coming to the defense of JD-U leader Nitish Kumar seemed to hint that there is something brewing between the two parties.
The INDIA Mobilisation
Earlier on 13 January, in a meeting held by the INDIA bloc, there was conversation over who will be the chairperson of the alliance. Many leaders proposed Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s name, but it was never officially announced by the alliance.
This reluctance in officially announcing the face of the INDIA bloc may have to do with the multiple egos involved. It is no secret that Kumar was the leader who rallied all the parties to come together to form an anti-BJP alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Many of the initial meetings were also hosted at the behest of Kumar, and the friendly relations he enjoys with almost all party leaders.
However, gradually, the Congress leadership began taking centre stage in the INDIA meetings. This includes not just Kharge, who is the president of the Congress party, but also Rahul Gandhi, who doesn’t have an official post in the party.
Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra-- A Thorn In INDIA
Sources say things began to go downhill when Gandhi ventured out on his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in January, just when other alliance partners were hoping to meet and finalise the seat sharing. This is also what seemed to have upset TMC leader and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, who had been one of the most active players in the INDIA bloc, including contributing to the name of the alliance.
However, on Wednesday, Banerjee announced that the TMC would go solo in West Bengal for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and not form any alliance. While the Congress had expressly stated at the start of the yatra that all INDIA partners have been invited to the yatra, Banerjee’s statement suggested something else. The leader expressed are disappointment with the Congress’ BJNY entering West Bengal, without informing her. "They did not even bother to inform me that they will be coming to West Bengal as a matter of courtesy even though I am a part of the INDIA bloc. So there is no with relation with me as far as Bengal is concerned,” Banerjee had said.
Sources said that Kumar is miffed with the Congress for similar reasons. The BJNY is scheduled to enter Bihar via Purnia, which is a JD-U stronghold, but the party hasn’t been informed or consulted, JD-U sources say.
While neither JDU nor Kumar have confirmed anything yet, the leader has been known to flip-flop between parties and alliances.
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