Nitish looks for new ally in Cong and Left

Upset over Lalu Prasad’s attempt to isolate him within the Janata Parivar, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has decided to pay the RJD chief back with the same coin.

Nitish is reported to have expressed unhappiness towards the messy developments within the Janata Parivar, and told Mulayam Singh Yadav, the recently-appointed chief of the yet-unnamed party, to resolve the issues fast. 

On the other hand, Nitish has also informally opened back-room channels with the Congress, and is holding parleys with the Left too. The idea is to go to the Assembly polls in an alliance with the Congress, the NCP, the CPI and the CPM.JD(U) sources told Deccan Herald here on Sunday that Nitish was miffed with Lalu over two particular issues. 

“First, Lalu has expressed reservations over the issue of Nitish being declared the chief ministerial candidate of the grand alliance in the Assembly polls. Secondly, by inviting Jitan Ram Manjhi into the Janata Parivar fold without even discussing it within the party, Lalu has upset Nitish,” said a senior party leader. 

“Nitish feels the open offer to Manjhi was a deliberate attempt by Lalu to corner him,” said the source, adding that this could be one possible reason why Nitish avoided meeting Mulayam the day Lalu met the SP chief at his New Delhi residence on the pretext of illness. The Congress sources neither confirmed nor denied back-room channels with the JD (U) over alliance in Bihar. 

“It’s true that Rahul Gandhi is still not very keen on tying up with Lalu’s party. And he will be more than happy if such an alliance takes place in which the JD(U), the Congress and the Left come under one umbrella,” a Bihar Congress ex-president said on Sunday. 

“However, it’s equally true that if the BJP’s march has to be stopped in Bihar, one will have to tie up with the RJD, as Lalu’s vote-bank remained intact even during the Modi wave. Any split among secular votes this time will make the BJP’s road to victory smooth,” said the veteran Congress man, hastening to add: “Sooner or later, the Janata outfit leaders will have to iron out their internal bickerings and present a cohesive and comprehensive alliance to combat the BJP in the October-November polls.