After the elevation of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as national president of the JD(U), a debate is raging in the political circles over the political fate of outgoing president Sharad Yadav and the ambitions of Nitish to jump into national politics and project him as prime ministerial contender for 2019.
The BJP is in an attacking mode and accusing Nitish of ‘forcibly sidelining’ Sharad in order to make the party his pocket borough even as the JD(U) leaders are pleading that Sharad himself expressed desire not to continue for fourth term.
Former Deputy CM and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi posted a series of tweets since the day Nitish took over as the JD(U) president on Sunday blaming him of ‘humiliating’ Sharad similarly as George Fernandes was subjected to in 2006.
JD(U) ally RJD supremo lalu Prasad too joined the chorus to term it as the end of the political career of Sharad. He said it was because of the constitutional provisions in the JD(U) which does not allow any person to hold the office for more than two consecutive terms and hence he proposed Nitish’s name. “If the JD(U) amended its constitution, Sharad could remain president like me,” said lalu, who is president of RJD since its inception.
Modi said Sharad was forced to quit three months before the completion of his term. “Nitish should tell why he was in such a hurry to occupy this postIJ Why he was not ready to allow Sharad to continue for another 90 daysIJ Why Sharad was tearful at the national executive meetingIJ” Modi asked.
Meanwhile, JD(U) general secretary Neeraj Kumar retaliated by asking the BJP why senior leaders like lK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Yashwant Sinha have been humiliated and sidelined. He said Sharad will remain leader of JD(U) and the party would continue seeking his guidance in organisational matters.
Bihar JD(U) spokesman Sanjay Singh said that with Nitish becoming party chief it has caused consternation for the BJP. “BJP is worried how to counter Nitish and the party is feeling shaky because of the image of Nitish and his mass acceptability,” he said.