SP calls Nitish a traitor, to contest all Bihar seats

Having spurned the repeated efforts of Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav and RJD chief Lalu Prasad to mollify him, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday fielded his Bihar unit president Ramchandra Yadav to launch a blistering attack on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“Nitish is actually a traitor. He has unabashedly used Mulayam Singh Yadav in the last few months. When Lalu Prasad was reluctant to project Nitish as the chief ministerial candidate of the grand alliance, it was Netaji (Mulayam) who made Lalu fall in line,” said Bihar SP president Ramchandra Yadav here on Monday.

“Nitish has not only deceived Mulayam Singh, but would do so with Lalu too. Mulayam Singh could see through his game plan, but Lalu has not been able to read Nitish properly,” he added.

Sources in the Samajwadi Party told Deccan Herald on Monday that it was Nitish’s growing proximity with the Congress which has actually upset Mulayam who feels let down on not being consulted on seat-sharing arrangement while Nitish allocated 40 seats to the Congress and a miniscule five seats to the SP.

“The SP will oppose Nitish tooth and nail and foil his design to emerge triumphant using Congress’ crutches. Only a leader of Mulayam Singh’s stature could properly read Nitish, who has a history of deserting his near and dear ones. When Janata Parivar was being given shape, Nitish used to make rounds of Mulayam’s house. Now he is treating him like dirt,” the SP’s Bihar unit chief went on to deride the same Nitish whom he, till recently, projected as the chief ministerial nominee of Janata Parivar.

The SP has, meanwhile, decided to field its nominee in all the 243 constituencies in Bihar, although Ramchandra did not rule out seat adjustments with Sharad Pawar-led NCP in certain pockets.