Is he going to or not? The speculation continues in Bihar as to whether Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will once again align with the BJP amidst growing tensions between the ruling allies Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).The strained relationship between these two allies, who have had a rocky alliance since 2022, has been building up for a while. It escalated this week with a heated exchange of words between the two parties following the conferment of the Bharat Ratna on socialist icon Karpoori Thakur by the Centre.
The speculation surrounding Kumar’s political moves has gained momentum recently. He has earned the nickname ‘Paltu Ram’ due to his frequent switching of alliance partners. This speculation intensified after his meeting with Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar earlier this week. Former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi even made a statement saying ‘Khela Hobe’ (something will happen).Kumar has a history of taking multiple U-turns in the past. In 2013, he ended his alliance with the BJP and joined forces with the RJD and Congress. However, after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he once again aligned himself with the BJP in 2020 and became the chief minister. Two years later, he broke ties with the BJP and formed a government with the RJD and Congress.As we wait to see what Nitish Kumar’s next move will be, it is worth noting that he is known for his ability to read the political landscape. Let us now examine the events that have led to a rift between the Mahagathbandhan partners.
NITISH KUMAR’S DYNASTIC POLITICS JIBE
The public disagreement emerged on Thursday when Nitish Kumar, taking a dig at the RJD, stated that JD(U) has always followed the example set by former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur by not promoting his own family.During an event commemorating Karpoori Thakur’s birth anniversary, Kumar expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for awarding the Bharat Ratna to the late socialist icon and indirectly criticized dynastic politics.Tejashwi Yadav, the younger son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, currently holds the position of Deputy CM of Bihar, while his elder son Tej Pratap serves as a minister in the government.Although prominent RJD leaders remained silent, Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya indirectly targeted the CM. In a now-deleted cryptic social media post, she stated, “People often fail to recognize their own flaws but continue to unjustly criticize others.”She also tweeted, “What kind of outrage can there be when someone undeserving is given prominence? How can one question others’ methods when there is deceit in their own intentions?”
BJP’S KARPOORI THAKUR MASTERSTROKE
Bihar is a state where the mobilization of the OBC vote is crucial for achieving electoral success. In order to garner the support of this voter base, Nitish Kumar announced a caste census in 2023, which revealed that 36% of Bihar’s population belongs to lower OBC castes.In November 2023, the Bihar government also enacted legislation to increase the reservation quota for scheduled castes and extremely backward castes.However, the BJP has made efforts to undermine Nitish’s caste census strategy by honoring ‘Jannayak’ Karpoori Thakur with the Bharat Ratna. Thakur was regarded as a savior of the OBC community due to his reservation policy during his tenure.This move by the central government is being praised by BJP leaders as a brilliant move to counter Nitish’s reservation strategy.Furthermore, the Congress’ utilization of the caste census issue as a campaign strategy in the recent elections failed to resonate with the people in the Hindi heartland.As a result, Nitish Kumar finds himself without a clear agenda to challenge the BJP in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
INDIA BLOC SNUB
Undoubtedly, Nitish Kumar played a pivotal role in establishing the INDIA bloc. The Chief Minister of Bihar tirelessly traveled across the country and engaged with numerous Opposition leaders to bring them together in a collective effort against the BJP.In fact, Nitish Kumar took the initiative to organize the inaugural Opposition gathering in Patna. It is widely known that he nurtures aspirations of becoming the prime minister.However, Kumar seemed to be displeased and experienced a sense of isolation when the allies of the INDIA bloc proposed the name of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as their candidate for prime minister.