Setback to 'Grand Alliance' in UP

Janata Dal (U) president and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's sudden separation from the opposition rank is likely to hit the efforts of the Samajwadi Party (SP), BSP and Congress to form a Bihar like 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) to take on the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

SP leaders here said that Nitish's separation was a severe setback to the opposition unity. ''It is a setback...Bihar was among the few states, which had stopped the BJP juggernaut,'' said senior SP leader Azam Khan here on Thursday.

Khan, however, said that the opposition parties in UP must continue their efforts to ''fight'' the BJP ''unitedly''.

SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav attacked Kumar for joining hands with the BJP. Akhilesh used an old song from Shashi Kapoor-Nanda starrer 'Jab Jab Phool Khile' to mock Kumar.

''Na nakartepyartumhisekarbaithe...karnathainkarmagarikrartumhisekarbaithe'' (fell in love despite saying no....I should have refused your company but I agreed), Akhilesh tweeted making a sarcastic attack on Kumar.

Significantly only a day before Akhilesh had hinted at a possible grand alliance in UP to fight the BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls in 2019. ''One can imagine the fate of BJP if PS, Congress and BSP join hands in UP,'' he had said while making a speech in the UP state legislative council on Wednesday.

BSP leaders also echoed similar sentiments though they said that Nitish Kumar no ''political base'' in UP. ''Kumar's leaving the opposition rank may have an impact on the unity efforts in the short run,'' said a senior state BSP leader here.

Though Nitish Kumar's party had not contested the March 2017 assembly polls in the state, the JD (U) chief had visited the state on several occasions and held public meetings to garner support for prohibition.