 "‘Paltu Ram’ strikes again? Why Nitish Kumar could leave INDIA alliance")
Is Nitish Kumar leaving the INDIA bloc? That’s the latest according to the rumours and innuendo. The news comes after both Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal said they would not tie up with the Congress in Bengal and Punjab and amid rumours of a rift in the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar. So what do we know? Is the JDU chief – who has emerged as a key figure in the alliance – leaving the bloc and why? Is the Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur the reason? Let’s take a closer look: What we know Nitish, who is Chief Minister of Bihar, may be tying up with the NDA again ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Sources told NDTV that Nitish will leave Bihar’s ruling Mahagathbandhan.
“Nitish Kumar may change sides, dump INDIA and go with the BJP," a senior JDU leader told Rediff on Saturday.
“The ruling Mahagathbandan in Bihar is in disarray, Nitish and Lalu may split again soon," the JDU leader added. “We cannot rule out Nitish Kumar going back to the NDA. But the situation can change in INDIA’s favour. It all depend on Nitish Kumar’s antaratma.” The BJP’s decision to honour ex- Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur with a posthumous Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, is said to be among the top reasons for Nitish doing so, as per NDTV. “We had been demanding it (Bharat Ratna for Karpoori Thakur) for a long time. Now they have done it. I thanked PM Narendra Modi for doing it. Probably, now they have realised that without honouring such leaders, there is no going forward in politics,” Kumar was quoted as saying by The Times of India. The BJP, RJD and JDU have been scrambling to claim [caption id=“attachment_13648892” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Karpoori Thakur served as chief minister of Bihar twice in the 1970s - from December 1970 to June 1971 and from December 1977 to April 1979. He has now been awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously. Image Courtesy: @narendramodi/X[/caption] legacy in Bihar. As per NDTV, Thakur was a mentor to both Nitish and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav. As per The Times of India, all three parties held separate events to celebrate the centenary of his birth. At a rally organised by the JD(U) here on the 100th birth anniversary of late Karpoori Thakur, Kumar made it clear that the highest civilian honour was “fulfilment of only one of our many demands”. That was a hint that contrary to speculations in a section of the media, he did not consider the development as an ice-breaker which could pave the way for his return to the NDA in the foreseeable future. Kumar’s litany of grievances includes special status for Bihar, a country-wide caste census and central status to Patna University. Nitish also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi – saying the latter might claim “full credit” for conferring Bharat Ratna on Thakur. “I was told by Ramnath Thakur, my party colleague and the late leader’s son, that the prime minister had called him up after the announcement. The PM has not called me so far. It is possible that he may claim full credit for the move. Be that as it may, I thank the PM and his government for fulfilling a demand I have been raising since I assumed power in Bihar,” he said. “It has been long since I have been organising functions in the honour of Karpoori Thakur and writing letters to the Centre, be it the previous Congress regime or the current one, requesting Bharat Ratna for the Jan Nayak. The move is proof of the realisation that you cannot go far without respecting his contributions,” Kumar said. The chief minister was referring to the BJP’s attempt to make a dent in the JD(U)’s support base of extremely backward classes. “It was also Karpoori Thakur who inspired our commitment to the cause of Other Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes. The caste survey, which we conducted and followed it up with many other welfare measures for the deprived sections, should be implemented across the country”, Nitish said.
Meanwhile, pollster Jan Ki Baat also said Nitish is considering dissolving the state Assembly.
The JD(U) chief at the rally also said he “never tried to promote” any of his family members since he drew inspiration from the late Karpoori Thakur who was known for probity in public life. Some interpreted this as a dig at the RJD – which is headed by Nitish’s former arch-rival Yadav whose younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav took over as Deputy CM when the JD(U) supremo dumped the BJP less than two years ago and joined hands with the ‘Mahagathbandhan.’ Yadav’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav is also a minister in the state cabinet while his eldest daughter Misa Bharti is a Rajya Sabha member. There were other hints as well. Such as Nitish refusing join the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Bihar despite being sent an invite by party leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan, as per Outlook. [caption id=“attachment_13558542” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with party leaders KC Venugopal, Kumari Selja, Randeep Surjewala, Deepender Hooda and supporters during the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, in Ambala, Haryana. PTI[/caption] Nitish is reportedly said to be upset over delays in seat-sharing discussions. As pe_r NDTV,_ Nitish has summoned his MLAs to Patna. Sources told the outlet he would first resign and then stake his claim with the support of other parties including the BJP. Once a new cabinet is in place, he would recommend the House be dissolved. Sources told the outlet that though some BJP leaders remain sceptics about Nitish’s return to the fold, the party leadership has told them to remain mum.
Leaders have been told not to speak ill of Nitish.
State BJP chief Samrat Chaudhary has been summoned to Delhi. Chaudhary and senior Bihar leader Sushil Modi are likely to meet Amit Shah this evening. However, there may be a catch. India Today cited BJP sources as saying that the party has demanded that Nitish quit as Bihar chief minister if he wants to return to the NDA fold. ‘Not targetted RJD’ Meanwhile, senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi on Thursday insisted that Nitish had not targeted the RJD. Tyagi, the JD(U)’s political advisor and spokesperson, said, “Nitish Kumar was addressing a programme organized on the birth anniversary of Karpoori Thakur, whom he has idolised. Like all great socialists, Thakur abhorred dynastic succession in politics. This was the simple fact Nitish Kumar wanted to underscore. Nothing more should be read into it,” asserted Tyagi. “Nitish Kumar had no desire to condemn any regional party or leader,” he said. He, however, added: “Those who think a dynasty is essential for the nation, are free to draw their own conclusions”. The JD(U) leader declined to comment on several posts on X by Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya, which have since been deleted, leading the BJP to allege that she had attacked Kumar, though he was not mentioned by name. BJP leader Nikhil Anand alleged in a statement that Acharya had used the word “badtameez” (ill-mannered) against the Chief Minister and if she thought it was a mistake, she must “publicly express regret and apologise”. When Tyagi was asked if he thought Acharya should have avoided writing such posts on social media, he curtly said “I have no suggestions to give.” Rediff quoted JDU MLA Gopal Mandal as advising Nimish to stay away from the NDA to protect his credibility.
Yadav, the RJD chief, is attempting to patch up the damage.
NDTV reported that Yadav on Thursday even called Nitish amid reports of the JDU chief leaving the Mahagathbandhan. Yadav has called a meet of his party MLAs in Patna. Yadav on Wednesday told party workers at the RJD event to celebrate Thakur, “There are people working tirelessly to break the INDIA bloc. But we needn’t be worried. This will continue. We are going to win the elections and there is no confusion about this.” [caption id=“attachment_12834342” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Former Bihar chief minister and RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav is seemingly in damage control mode.[/caption] Meanwhile, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has said the end is in sight for the INDIA bloc. “Mamata Banerjee has already exited the alliance, and Sharad Pawar is likely to follow suit. Nitish Kumar has taken a step outside the alliance. The INDI alliance will not endure much longer as parties withdraw due to the attitude of Congress leaders. It won’t exist when Narendra Modi becomes Prime Minister for the third time,” Bommai told ANI. Nitish’s many flip-flops A move to the NDA would add yet another chapter to Nitish’s many flip-flops and his sobriquet of ‘Paltu Ram.’ For the 72-year-old veteran politician, this would be the fifth change of camp. Nitish has been going back and forth between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan since 2013. As per Rediff, that was the year that Nitish called off a 17-year alliance with the BJP. Nitish, who joined hands with the RJD and Congress in 2015, then won the state Assembly polls and formed the Bihar government.
In 2017, Nitish left the Mahagathbandan for the NDA.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHe contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and 2020 Assembly polls with the BJP. However, in 2022, he dumped the BJP and joined hands with the Mahagathbandhan. It remains to be seen if ‘Paltu Ram’ strikes again. With inputs from agencies
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