‘Nonsense’: Bihar BJP leaders fume after Nitish Kumar pole vaults to RJD

Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar, angry with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for teaming up with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), on Tuesday accused the Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) of backstabbing them and dismissing suggestions that Kumar’s exit from the NDA was designed to torpedo BJP’s attempt of break the JD(U).

“All talk of breaking JD(U) is nonsense,” BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi said, rejecting suggestions that the BJP had been trying to split the JD(U).

BJP leaders also threw the jibe ‘Paltu Ram’ (one who keeps changing sides), first used by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav for Nitish Kumar, at the JD(U) leader and rejected claims that their party was undermining him.

The attack came hours after Nitish Kumar called off his alliance with the BJP to once again form the Mahagathbandhan or Grand Alliance with the RJD and some other parties. He also resigned as chief minister and subsequently met RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, following which the two met governor Phagu Chauhan to stake claim to the government.

At a Press conference soon after, BJP Bihar president Dr Sanjay Jaiswal called Nitish a “habitual backstabber” and said he will be “punished” by the people of Bihar.

“We fought the 2020 assembly elections under the NDA. The majority and mandate was to the BJP and JD(U). We won 74 seats but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Amit Shah stuck to their commitment of making Nitish Kumar as chief minister. What JD(U) did today was backstabbing and betraying the people of Bihar and the BJP. He is a habitual back-stabber,” Jaiswal said.

Speaking on similar lines, Union minister Ashwini Choubey said: “He has deceived the people twice. He is suffering from arrogance.”

Jaiswal and Choubey were referring to the time in 2017 when the JD(U), after winning the 2015 assembly polls, had walked out of the Mahagathbandhan and snapped ties with the RJD over allegations of corruption against Yadav and joined the NDA fold.

“Has that issue (corruption) changed now,” Jaiswal asked as he vowed to take the fight to the “people’s court”.

Former Union minister Ravishankar Prasad reminded Nitish Kumar how the BJP had helped the latter’s party increase its tally from two lawmakers to 16 lawmakers in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “We sacrificed our seats for the JD(U). He was made a (railway) minister at the Centre (in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government),” he said.

Union minister Giriraj Singh said Nitish “is making all kinds of excuses about his so-called problems with the BJP”. “He had prime ministerial ambition in 2013 (ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha elections) and found a reason to separate with the BJP, and the same desire has gotten hold of him again,” he added.

He also mocked Nitish Kumar as ‘Paltu Ram’, noting that Lalu Yadav had used the term for him in 2017.

Singh dared Nitish to hold fresh elections and contest independently. “We followed the coalition dharma. I dare him to fight independently. He is a parasite. At times, he sticks to BJP, at times to RJD,” Singh said.

Senior BJP leaders said the party had got a hint of Kumar’s actions after he began making “unreasonable” demands before it.

“It’s good riddance anyway. We will fight afresh,” BJP MP Vivek Thakur said.