Bihar: Guessing game continues as Nitish Kumar keeps the suspense on

The trouble in ruling alliance was manifested at the Republic Day function in Patna where Tejashwi Yadav was seated far away from Nitish Kumar.

New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is keeping the suspense on whether he will dump the Grand Alliance for the BJP and remain in power even as Congress sources on Friday said he refused to speak to their top leader Sonia Gandhi.

As the Republic Day saw intense speculation over the turn Bihar politics will take with Sunday being set as a possible deadline for Nitish to join hands with the saffron camp, parties are learnt to have started fencing their MLAs to security.

However, there was no official word on the next course of action.

The trouble in Bihar’s ruling alliance was manifested at the Republic Day function in Patna where Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav was seated far away from Nitish. Tejashwi and several RJD leaders also skipped customary High Tea at the Governor’s residence while Nitish was present.

BJP remained open to welcome JD(U) back in NDA with former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi saying “doors are never permanently closed in politics and closed doors open when the time comes” but a decision on opening or closing the door will come from their central leadership only.

While JD(U) Bihar president Umesh Singh Kushwaha claimed that “all is well” within the alliance and there is “no truth in the rumours doing the rounds”, senior RJD MP Manoj K Jha said Nitish should clear the air on the “confusion” by Friday evening.

RJD is speculated to have reached out to Jiten Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) with four MLAs with an offer besides trying to woo Yadav and Muslim MLAs in JD(U) while Congress is trying to ensure that its lawmakers do not switch sides to the JD(U) or saffron fold.

Sources said Congress managers sought to connect Sonia with Nitish on Wednesday to pacify the JD(U) supremo but the latter did not come on line while party chief Mallikarjun Kharge had reached out to JD(U) leaders. JD(U) sources said such efforts are too late.

Congress has also called all its 19 MLAs to Purnea during Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra with leaders insisting that no one is jumping the ship.

Congress believes that Nitish does not want to hand over Chief Ministership to RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav after Lok Sabha elections as both the parties had decided and is now making a sound about the I.N.D.I.A alliance Convenorship and other issues, sources said.

However, JD(U) sources counter this argument that a decision is taken in the party based on the question of its “future” and will respond adequately to what threatens its “existence”. They claimed there was a communication breakdown and no forward movement in I.N.D.I.A.

They argue that RJD and Congress have come together to unseat Nitish and at such a juncture the JD(U) will have to act to protect its “interest”. It cited Nitish coming out of the NDA earlier as an example when the BJP appeared to threaten JD(U)’s political prospects and referred to RJD’s insistence on anointing Tejashwi.

Sources also said the focus on JD(U) is majorly because it is running a coalition government in comparison with the Trinamool Congress or AAP.

A senior JD(U) said one saw AAP and Trinamool Congress not aligning with Congress in Punjab and West Bengal respectively but it has not attracted such attention as compared to the Bihar episode.

Kushwaha said, “we want the Congress, which is our alliance partner, to do some introspection with regard to its stance towards other constituents and sharing of seats.”

Sources said Nitish’s uneasiness with the Congress and other allies was first manifested in his take over as party president replacing Rajiv Ranjan ‘Lalan’ Singh, who was against tying up with BJP and wanted to continue alliance with RJD. He also recently reconstituted his team by appointing loyalists.