The Congress on Tuesday saw irreconcilable differences between the BJP and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), and predicted a major upheaval in the state after the all-important assembly elections in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh were over. AICC media panellist and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra made the claim, citing recent attacks on Kumar by some leaders of the BJP, which was mortified over not having its own chief minister despite being numerically stronger.
Just look at the statement of Chhedi Paswan, who calls the chief minister so hungry for power that he would not hesitate from joining hands with Dawood Ibrahim if the need arose, said Mishra, referring to the controversial statement of the BJP MP from Sasaram. Paswan, who is serving his second term as BJP MP, had made the remarks in the national capital in reply to questions from journalists about the spat between the party’s state president Sanjay Jaiswal and the JD(U).
The Sasaram MP, a veteran party-hopper who had joined BJP just ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, had also said his party had committed a bhool (mistake) by helping Kumar, his former boss, return as chief minister despite the JD(U)’s dismal show in the assembly polls. Paswan was formerly with the JD(U) and a minister in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet before resigning in protest against not being considered for a party ticket in the Lok Sabha polls.
The Congress leader also cited Jaiswal’s allegation in a Facebook post on the previous day that state ministers from the party like Shahnawaz Hussain were not able to perform to their potential for want of cooperation from the entire cabinet, a veiled reference to the chief Minister and the JD(U). Jaiswal had also rubbished the contention of the JD(U) that the state was in need of greater assistance from the Centre, including the grant of special category status, and sought to underscore that Bihar was already getting more central help than Maharashtra and West Bengal, which were roughly of the same size in terms of population.
The tirade against the chief minister is not from the opposition but from his allies in power. It is a poor reflection on the opportunism and lust for power of both partners. But, it also indicates that nothing is okay with the ruling coalition, said Mishra. We are definitely staring at political instability in Bihar. This government will not complete its tenure. There may even be mid-term polls. The picture will become more clear after the UP elections, the Congress leader said.
In the 2020 assembly elections, the BJP returned with a tally of 74 seats, about 30 more than that of the JD(U), which put up its worst-ever performance, blamed primarily on the rebellion of the then Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan. Chirag, who eventually got cornered in his own party and was disowned by the BJP despite his repeated avowals of loyalty towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been accused by the JD(U) of having acted with the tacit approval of the saffron party.
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