A day after former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar extended hands towards his archrival lalu Prasad for support in the ensuing Rajya Sabha bypoll, one of his party leaders questioned the BJP’s delay in making its stand clear in the poll. State BJP leaders have said that their party would take decision on it by June 18, a day before the scheduled date of the bypoll.
“If you (BJP) have no sinister design to rock the boat of the two JD(U) candidates — Pawan Verma and Gulam Rasool Baliyawi — in the bypoll, then why you have decided to make public your decision on the issue by as late as June 18,” asked Water Resources Minister in the Manjhi Government Vijay Kumar Chaudhury. Chaudhury is known to be a member of Nitish’s inner coterie.
He also charged that by delaying their move, the BJP might want to indulge in horse-trading to ensure victories of two Independent candidates supported by rebel JD(U) MlAs.
He further alleged that the two Independent candidates had visited BJP leader Shushil Kumar Modi’s residence before filing their nominations and made strategies on June 9. “The BJP in league with few rebel JD(U) MlAs is indulged in the trade of buying MlAs for the RS bypoll, but they will not succeed in their evil design,” said Chaudhury.“The BJP might say whatever it likes, but the JD(U) believes that the party is actively involved in the RS bypoll from behind the scene otherwise the two Independent candidates would not have been in the fray,” said the JD(U) leader.
But, he said, the two Independent candidates could never win the poll with the support of few disgruntled JD(U) MlAs as many of them even have returned to the party while reposing their faith in the leadership of Nitish.Earlier, two of the rebel party MlAs Dawood Ali and Gajanand Shahi alias Munna Shahi had came to the JD(U) fold declaring their complete faith in the leadership of party leader Nitish. Interestingly, both along with others were the proposers of the Independent candidates.
Meanwhile, reports suggested that after Nitish broke the ice with RJD chief on Saturday, lalu on Sunday mocked that when he (Nitish) was embroiled in trouble, he extended his hands towards him.“Anyways, I will take my final decision on giving support to the JD(U) candidates after discussing the issue with my partymen,” said lalu.
However, political pundits of the State said that both the socialist leaders who have been archrivals for over two decades now have been struggling for their political existence in the State and “now they are desperate to join hands once again to counter the surge of the BJP”.“Nothing is permanent in politics and it is all about marriage of convenience … this is what happening in Bihar’s political landscape these days ... no one is exception whether he is Nitish or lalu,” said a political observer.
Meanwhile, the State BJP leaders have said that they were keeping close watch on the developments taking place in regard with the upcoming RS bypoll and the party would take appropriate decision on it on the suitable time.