Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, December 28
Jolt to JDU with the near total team defection (6 out of seven) to BJP in Arunachal Pradesh assembly is hard to heal quickly even as the party plans to cross Bihar boundaries to take on its ally.
The NDA partner at the Centre and in Bihar is now in a belligerent mood. The reactions of the party leaders immediately after the conclusion of the two-day national council meeting here on Sunday gave enough indication that the JDU was in no mood to be treated like other regional parties supporting the NDA.
JDU Secretary General K C Tyagi declared that the Bihar Chief Minister would travel all over the state to organise the JDU at pan-India level. “Nitish is the national leader with credibility,” he said and claimed “Nitish is our asset and we will expand all over the state under his leadership.”
Tyagi was critical of the BJP leadership for engineering defections in the NE state and called it an unfriendly act. He also criticised the BJP for introducing legislations against inter-religious marriages on grounds of Love Jehad and called the legislations passed in MP and UP assemblies as unconstitutional.
BJP is the largest partner in JDU led ministry in Bihar and senior party leaders, including union ministers Giriraj Singh and Ashwini Kumar Chaubey have demanded anti-Love Jihad laws in Bihar too.
Bihar cabinet had conceded the suggestions of BJP for free Corona vaccines in its first cabinet meeting. The demand was made by BJP ministers as part of their election manifesto promises. Now, Nitish Kumar may not agree to their demand on anti-Love Jihad laws.
For the first time in NDA Part II, JDU has demanded proportional representation in the Union Cabinet. JDU has 22 MPs in both the Houses of parliament. In May last year, Nitish Kumar had rejected PM”s invitation to induct one JDU member in his cabinet as state minister. With 6 MPs, LJP had one minister, Ram Vilas Paswan from Bihar.
JDU’s new team headed by the bureaucrat turned politician, R C P Singh has given enough signal on the first day itself that now the anti-chief minister statements by BJP leaders would not be “tolerated”. Singh in his opening remarks said: “We will never deceive others nor allow others to deceive us.” Last week, senior BJP leaders Sanjay Paswan, Chhedi Paswan and Sanjay Jaiswal had commented against the poor governance by the “weak chief minister.”
JDU has officially announced its candidates would contest the assembly elections in West Bengal next year and Nitish Kumar would be the star campaigner. The first test of the Atal Model of coalition suggested by the party in its political resolution on Sunday would be conducted in 75 constituencies in West Bengal as JDU and BJP nominees would face each other.
The post-national convention developments in JDU have put the BJP leadership in the state on defensive now and its senior leaders assured the Arunachal Pradesh development would have no adverse effect on Nitish Kumar-led ministry in Bihar.
Former deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi after participating in a programme on the former finance minister, Arun Jaitley’s birth anniversary at his statue, claimed he was not aware of the developments in Arunachal Pradesh but was confident the NDA government would continue for the next five years under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.
Sushil Modi recalled it was because of the persuasive skills of Jaitley that Nitish Kumar agreed to return to NDA fold in 2017 again after deserting the RJD.This was confirmed by K C Tyagi too.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar himself was very upset over the developments in Arunachal Pradesh and disclosed at the national council meeting: “I was against becoming CM again and had asked the BJP leaders to elect new CM from among the BJP legislators.” Sushil Modi on Monday said:”It is true; we requested him to lead the NDA government again as it was the commitment of the BJP before the elections too.”
State BJP president, Sanjay Jaiswal too hoped there would be no impact on relations between JDU and BJP in Bihar. Two days back, BJP had put the blame on defections on JDU leadership.
