Some political questions are doing the rounds in Bihar’s power corridor: Will Nitish Kumar unfurl the Tricolour on Independence Day at Gandhi MaidanIJ If yes, whose CM he would be — mahagathbandhan’s or NDA’sIJ Will Nitish attend the brief Monsoon Session of the Assembly beginning July 28IJ If yes, who will sit on his right; Tejashwi Prasad Yadav or someone elseIJ
These questions are cropping up in the context of the prevailing political situation in the State, which is going topsy-turvy for over a fortnight, July 7 to be precise, when the CBI raided residential premises of Deputy CM Yadav, interrogated him and filed an FIR naming him. Cracks appeared in 20-month old mahagathbandhan as contrary to the wishes of Nitish, his deputy refused to resign. Top leaders of the alliance Nitish and RJD supremo lalu Prasad are maintaining a distance but the spokesmen of the two parties not only criticising each other but now they are issuing acidic remarks against the leadership of the two allies as if they are sworn enemies.
Nitish has been maintaining a stony silence over the sharp differences and stalemate but through his body language he has sent out a clear signal that he was feeling uncomfortable in the company of lalu’s party.
Take two examples: On July 15, Tejashwi did not turn up at an official programme of labour resources department and his name plaque was first covered and then removed before the CM’s arrival. The CM kept a distance from labour resources Minister Vijay Prakash of RJD and changed his chair to sit between two other Ministers of his own party. Except for exchanging pleasantries he did not speak to Prakash.
On July 21, at the official programme of disaster management department though the CM sat besides Minister Chandrashekhar, he did not speak to him even once. Throughout the programme he was either seen speaking to Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh sitting on his right or looking at the audience in a deep thinking mood. Chandrashekhar later on denied before the media that he was ignored by the CM.