All the partners of the Maha Gathbandhan — RJD, JD(U) and Congress — have plunged into the hectic process of making their August 30 Swabhiman Rally at Gandhi Maidan here a success to show their strength and give a reply to the BJP’s poll propaganda.
Sources said Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are among the other non-BJP party leaders who have been invited to address the Swabhiman Rally.
In a bid to frustrate the belligerent mood of the SP and the NCP in Bihar after the seat sharing was announced by leaders of the three parties, RJD president lalu Prasad said Mulayam and Pawar would address the rally. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar though did not make any comment; he said it has been decided to invite leaders of all the non-BJP parties to address the rally.
As per the scheme of things, the RJD and the JD(U) have shared 100 seats each and Congress 40 leaving three seats for the NCP but no seat to the SP. When asked, lalu said he would give seats to the SP if Mulayam demanded from his own share. NCP leader and Katihar MP Tariq Anwar gave a deadline of August 20 to Maha Gathbandhan leaders to reconsider their three seats offer else he would be forced to explore other options. Some Bihar SP leaders who resorted to hunger strike in protest called off their strike after Mulayam phoned Bihar SP president Ramchandra Singh Yadav on Monday.
“Alliances are neither forced nor made under pressure,” commented Nitish on Monday and added that seat sharing formula has already been announced. “It is up to the NCP to make a decision,” he said giving a hint that there was no scope of any rethinking.
Claiming that Swabhiman rally would be a historic one, Nitish said BJP people were getting restless with the first joint rally. He said leaders of three parties would hold meetings at different level in districts and start their public relations campaign for the Assembly polls.
The CM said their alliance was not concerned of BJP’s rallies and said he would go to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday at Patna airport as a courtesy but will not attend the function at Ara where the PM will inaugurate some road projects before addressing a BJP rally at Saharsa, Modi’s third in three weeks.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his Janata Darbar, the CM said it was possibly his last Janata ke Darbar mein Mukhya Mantri programme as Assembly election is likely to be announced by this month end or first week of September. Thanking all his ministerial colleagues, both past and present, as well as the bureaucrats, the CM said it was a hugely successful programme which continued for ten years without break. He said that to further institutionalise this programme his Government has got passed the Bihar Public Grievances Redressal Bill in the legislature and after the nod of the Governor, its policies and regulations would be framed.