Bihar: RJD circles as spats between NDA allies continue

By claiming 25 Lok Sabha seats out of Bihar’s total 40 seats as well as the post of chief minister in the next state assembly polls, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) set the proverbial cat among the pigeons, as NDA allies began pushing their respective claims. Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samata Party made it clear that they are no pushovers, and demanded the chief minister’s seat for themselves, saying Nitish Kumar could not be trusted.

The NDA allies, who met recently in Patna, were trying to strike while the iron is hot with big brother BJP being on the back foot, having lost badly in recent bypolls across the country.

The JD(U) and RLSP raised their competing demands just a few hours before the dinner hosted for the Bihar NDA bigwigs by the BJP in Patna on June 7. Kushwaha pointedly skipped the dinner, while Nitish and LJP supremo Ram Vilas Paswan were present on the occasion. A day earlier Paswan hosted an Iftar party and on June 8 deputy CM Sushil Modi too threw a similar party. Reportedly, extraordinary bonhomie was noticed between Nitish and Paswan during these get-togethers. BJP President Amit Shah too did not attend the NDA meeting or dinner.

According to political observers Kushwaha is keeping one leg each in two boats––NDA as well as Grand Alliance.

While the chief ministerial demand of Kushwaha may sound a bit fantastical, the JD(U) claim on 25 seats will worry the BJP. The NDA constituents know that notwithstanding the Narendra Modi wave, the performance of the saffron party in 2014 election was not better than previous NDA performances. The JD(U) does appears to be somewhat better placed to field candidates in some of these constituencies. Hence, the party has a point. The BJP performed better in 2009 when it contested with Nitish as the face in Bihar. The BJP won 12 out 15 thus its performance was better than in 2014. The JD(U) then won 20 out of 25 and thus the two bagged 32 out of 40 when there was no such Modi type wave nationally. In 2014 the NDA won one less, that is 31.

Not just that, about half a dozen of the 22 BJP MPs are in rebellious mood or have openly expressed their feelings in the past and thus may be dropped. They include Patna Sahib MP and actor Shatrughan Sinha, former cricketer Kirti Azad, Begusarai MP Bhola Singh and Gaya MP Hari Manjhi. Apart from this, the Aurangabad and Bhagalpur units of the BJP are riddled with infighting.

BJP leader and Bihar Minister Prem Kumar on June 12, however, rejected claims that Nitish Kumar will be the NDA's face in the state in the next Lok Sabha polls, saying only Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be projected by the coalition. "One thing is certain. NDA will contest the polls under the leadership of Modi and Modi will be our face." Prem Kumar told the media.

RJD invites RLSP to join Grand Alliance

The RJD on its part is busy pouring fuel on the NDA fire. Lalu’s party on June 10 invited BJP ally Upendra Kushwaha to join the Grand Alliance of RJD, Congress and HAM(S) in the state. Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav also accused BJP of joining hands with JD(U) in order to break the RLSP. Kushwaha and Nitish both have the same vote base of Kurmi/Koeri voters.

Tejashwi said: "Upendra Kushwaha has been ignored and neglected in the BJP-led NDA. The BJP has been meting out to him stepmotherly treatment in the last four years. He should join the Grand Alliance in Bihar, which now comprises the RJD, Congress and Jitan Ram Majhi's Hindustan Awam Morcha," Tejashwi said. On June 8, Tejashwi had described Kushwaha as a leader with a bigger support base than Nitish Kumar.

Kushwaha on June 10 itself denied speculation that he was contemplating joining the RJD-led alliance and leaving the BJP-led NDA. He said the RLSP will be a part of the NDA in the 2019 polls.

However, a day later Jitan Ram Manjhi also invited Kushwaha to join the Grand Alliance and claimed that Kushwaha will join the Grand Alliance soon. "If Upendra Kushwaha said 'no' to joining the Grand Alliance, his 'no' means 'yes'. Try to understand it. He will join Grand Alliance soon," Manjhi told the media.

With IANS inputs

*This article was updated at 7.44 pm on June 12, 2018 to add the credit to IANS