Nitish Kumar Roars High

With Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's stature reaching new heights and the return of LK Advani after his resignation was rejected by the BJP Parliamentary Board, the party that has been hit the most by this development seems to be the JD(U). Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's opposition to Narendra Modi is not new and the current rift between the BJP and the JD(U) is another proof to the old point. With his relationship with BJP flat-lining, the entire spotlight is now fixed on him. If sources are to be believed, he has received calls from senior BJP leaders like LK Advani and Rajnath Singh, requesting him to continue to be a part of the NDA. But despite serious attempts, this time he seems to be unmoved and adamant about his decision.

Since a very long time now, Nitish Kumar and his party the JD(U) has shown their displeasure over the growing influence and stature of Narendra Modi within the BJP and is seriously upset with his anointment as the Chairman of the Central Campaign Committee. And with Advani’s latest political drama over his resignation, they seem to be on their toes now to take a decision as to where do they stand. The JD(U) is one of the founding members of the NDA and is now in alliance with them since 17 years. Though senior leaders tried to lure Kumar, in their phone conversations, he reportedly offered no assurance to the BJP stalwarts that he will reconsider his decision to end their partnership.

In the wake of the latest crisis, the Bihar Chief Minister has asked all legislators from his party to stay at Patna on 15^th June for consultations. They are likely to discuss whether or not the JD(U) will continue its alliance with the BJP in future. So in case they go serious and split with the BJP, what options will then be available for the JD(U) in future? And with whom will they go ahead in the upcoming elections is the bigger question now. Nitish Kumar this morning also told the media that he has been in talks with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about assembling a non-congress, non-BJP ‘Federal Front’ that would include other regional powerhouses such as Odisha’s BJD led by Naveen Patnaik.

Recently a senior leader from Kumar’s JD(U) visited Mamata Banerjee for what according to him was a courtesy call. KC Tyagi also commented, ‘Both the UPA and NDA coalitions have failed.’ This is a direct criticism from the JD(U) which is also a part of the National Democratic Alliance spearheaded by the BJP, needless to say, they are a senior member of the alliance. At an interesting turn of events the BJP said that if Nitish Kumar’s party quits their alliance, he should seek an election in Bihar to prove he hasn’t lost the mandate of the people. BJP’s CP Thakur recently said ‘We won’t compromise on that; we have taken the decision after a lot of discussion.’

Ironically in parts of the state recently toured by Nitish Kumar, several posters of Narendra Modi have greeted him. The BJP has also invited Narendra Modi to address an election rally in Patna in October. By far, Nitish Kumar has placed a virtual restraining order on Narendra Modi campaigning in Bihar. Apart from a variety of reasons, a flashpoint in the alliance was hit a few days back when the JD(U) lost an important election in the Lok Sabha constituency of Maharajganj. Interestingly BJP leaders also accepted that their party cadres had not worked for the JD(U) candidate.

In the upcoming days it would be interesting to see what direction our Indian politics takes. Will the JD(U) end their 17 year of alliance with the BJP or is it another political façade created by both the parties? In case of a split and with Congress luring JD(U) with a special status and huge funds, is a future alliance with the Congress inevitable? Or will the Federal Front come out in a big way and pave the path of a new era in Indian Politics? History bears testimony that till date only governments led by the Congress and the BJP has lasted their full terms. All other attempts such as the United Front have failed due to individual greed of power among leaders of different parties. Will this time be an exception then?

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