The new coalition government in Bihar has been a source of happiness to the Congress and has given a chance to the grand old party to reap the fruits of power without much political investment.
Congress was one of the first parties to announce support for the coming together of JD(U) and RJD (once again) in Bihar. The move gives Congress a chance to snub its rival BJP.
With the new government formation sans BJP, the party, with just 19 MLAs in the 243-member assembly, is not only getting an opportunity to associate with the new government but also getting ministerial berths in the new cabinet.
It is likely to get four ministerial berths in the new government in Bihar and also sought the post of Speaker of the state assembly without much political investment.
After the rift with BJP on Tuesday, Nitish Kumar dialled Congress President Sonia Gandhi and MP Rahul Gandhi to thank them for their support despite JD(U) having the required numbers without the support of Congress.
Meanwhile, Nitish’s defection from the NDA has taken away the happiness from the BJP over regaining office in Maharashtra and presenting the BJP with a challenge in Bihar, where the party won 39 out of the 40 seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The saffron party had sensed Nitish’s resentment and tried to assuage his sense of hurt and even improved numbers in the assembly to extract better terms with him. The JD(U) also became the third major ally after the Shiv Sena and the Akali Dal to snap ties with the BJP after 2019. Within 18 months of the BJP’s second consecutive Lok Sabha election victory, the party had lost two of its oldest allies – Shiv Sena and Akali Dal.
The BJP has a difficult job ahead in Bihar where it received a downslide loss in the 2015 assembly elections when the RJD and JD(U) were together. While the RJD has the support of Muslims and Yadavs, the JD(U) has support of Kurmis, Kushwahas and other backward castes, giving the two an edge in state politics.
However, the change in alliances in Bihar is not only a matter of concern for state politics. If chatter in political circles of is to be believed, this move by Nitish Kumar to start a fresh inning as chief minister with RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav as his deputy is a strategic one aimed at the Prime Minister post.
Nitish Kumar’s decision to break ties with the BJP was a coup but sources privy to the developments have said that Nitish Kumar will stay as chief minister for the next 8-10 months, handover the responsibility to Tejashwi Yadav and then pursue his perceived PM ambition for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of “insulting and betraying” people’s mandate while blaming his prime ministerial ambition for the JD(U)’s decision to walk out of the NDA and joining hands with the RJD-led opposition.
BJP leaders noted that he had snapped ties with the RJD in 2017 over allegations of corruption against its leader Tejashwi Yadav and asked how he will justify the alliance with the party again.
They also threw the jibe “Paltu Ram” (one who keeps changing sides), first used by Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav for Kumar, at the Janata Dal (United) leader and rejected claims that their party was undermining him. RCP Singh, once a close aide of Kumar and now out of favour, also accused the chief minister of betraying the mandate of the 2020 assembly polls in the favour of the BJP-led NDA.
Read the Latest News and Breaking News here
Comments
0 comment