Amidst speculation surrounding Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s potential departure from the Mahagathbandhan alliance, Misa Bharti, an MP and the daughter of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Yadav, expressed her lack of awareness about the ongoing developments in Bihar. The RJD currently stands as a key ally in the mega alliance in Bihar, commanding 79 MLAs in the state legislative assembly.
“I have no idea right now..whatever is going on in the news that is only thing, other than that nobody has said anything…whenever RJD comes to power, we have worked for the people of Bihar and we will keep working for them in the future also,” Bharti told reporters in Bihar’s Patna.
Speculations have arisen that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to cross over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Several NDA leaders including former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi have indicated an alliance breakdown between JD(U)-RJD.
Meanwhile, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda on Saturday amid the political turmoil in Bihar.
Paswan said he kept “his concerns over Bihar” before the BJP leaders in the meeting held at the residence of Amit Shah. Several media reports have claimed that the LJP has a fear of being ‘sidelined’ after the possible entry of the JDU in the NDA alliance.
“It was important to know what is happening in Bihar today. On this issue, I held a meeting with Amit Shah and JP Nadda ji today. I have kept my concerns before them over Bihar. They have given assurance on various issues. The situation is very positive regarding the alliance. In the coming days, the situation will become more clear, and after that, our party will take a stand. We are a part of NDA today,” he told reporters. Chirag Paswan and Nitish Kumar have slammed each other in the past.
In a significant development, leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) gathered on Saturday at the residence of party supremo Lalu Prasad in Patna for an emergency meeting called by Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav. The meeting, attended by Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, and other senior leaders, including members of the state legislature, discussed pressing issues within the party.
Sources reveal that during the meeting, Tejashwi Yadav conveyed to the party leaders that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is “respectable,” but he faces challenges beyond his control. This statement reflects the growing complexity of the political situation in Bihar as discussions unfold within the RJD leadership.
“CM Nitish Kumar was and is respectable. Many things are not under his (Nitish Kumar) control. RJD’s allies in the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ always respected the Chief Minister…” Tejashwi Yadav was quoted as saying by the sources.The sources further said that Tejashwi had also hinted at many unexpected developments in the state.
“The Chief Minister used to sit with me on the stage and ask, “What was there in Bihar before 2005?” I never reacted… Now, more people are with us. Whatever remained undone in two decades, we managed to get it done within a short time- be it jobs, caste census, increasing reservation, etc. ‘Bihar mein abhi khel hona baki hain’ (The game is yet to begin in Bihar) Yadav reportedly said.
With the recent reports that the Bihar CM is poised to shift his allegiance, the unity of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) – the 28-party Opposition bloc, formed to take on the BJP-led Central government- appears to be in jeoprady.