Another key aide of Nitish Kumar rues lack of coordination in NDA, recalls Vajpayee era

Patna: Lack of coordination in the BJP-led NDA under the current dispensation, in sharp contrast with the Vajpayee era, was on Thursday rued by yet another key aide of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Bijendra Prasad Yadav, the senior-most minister in the state cabinet and a former Bihar unit president of the JD(U), also lamented that the lack of cohesion was causing allies to engage in allegations and counter allegations, a job best left to the Opposition. “Aarop-pratyarop (allegations and counter allegations) behoves the Opposition. It is regrettable when parties sharing power indulge in the same,” Yadav told reporters in response to queries about acerbic war of words that is frequently seen among leaders of his party and ally BJP. Yadav lamented that no coordination committee of the NDA existed now, unlike during the Vajpayee era when the same was headed by veteran socialist leader George Fernandes. “The coordination committee served an important purpose. Members of different parties would sit together and thrash out their differences arising out of diverse ideologies. Now, there is no such forum, leaving the leaders with no choice but to express there differences through the media which reflects poorly on the coalition,” said the JD(U) leader, whose party is the largest ally of the BJP. Yadav, who is known to be a man of few words, joins more vocal JD(U) leaders like Upendra Kushwaha and K C Tyagi in demanding restoration of the NDA’s coordination committee. The demand is viewed in political circles as an indirect protest by the JD(U) against the domineering stance the BJP has come to adopt under Modi-Shah which is also characterized by the party enjoying a brute majority on its own in the Parliament. In the recent past, the JD(U) and the BJP have held diametrically opposite views over issues like Agnipath, population control law and alleged comparison of RSS with Islamic extremist organisation PFI by a police official. Yadav, who holds key portfolios like power and planning and implementation also disapproved of his cabinet colleagues going public with grievances over their recommendations for transfers and postings being overturned by the Chief Minister. “They should read the Constitution. It is clearly stated that the Council of Ministers is meant to aid and assist the Chief Minister in policy matters. Transfers and postings are an administrative matter. It is unfortunate if ministers start making these a prestige issue,” he added. Notably, the minister for revenue and land reforms Ram Surat Rai, a voluble BJP leader, had recently expressed overt displeasure over the CM’s office vetoing transfers and postings of more than 100 officials which he had cleared. Earlier in the day, TMC MP Shatrughan Sinha said in Kolkata that while the reign of Vajpayee projected ’lokshahi’ (democracy), that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi reflects ’tanashahi’ (dictatorship). Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .