The JD(U) on Thursday announced its support to the nationwide protest against demonetisation on November 28 saying the decision has brought immense trouble to common people. The party also joined the MPs dharna in New Delhi on Wednesday. In spite of this, the party’s stand on the scrapping of Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes as party chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar vehemently supported the move saying it would check the black money and its muse in politics.
Ignoring the party president’s stand, JD(U) leader in Rajya Sabha Sharad Yadav was all hammer and tongs against the Government in the parliament during the debate. This created a peculiar situation and other parties too were perplexed over the “dual” attitude of JD(U) forcing West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee quipping that Nitish was under some political compulsion but asked if he had the support of the leaders of his own party on demonetisation.
Nitish took a stand just contrary to his ally lalu Prasad who was highly critical of the decision calling it “fargi-cal” strike. Another ally Congress is totally against this decision. On Wednesday Bihar Congress president and Education Minister Ashok Chaudhary even said that his party might walkout of the alliance if the high command wished.
Bihar JD(U) president Bashistha Narain Singh said there was no difference of opinion in his party over the demonetisation issue. “In principle we support the very concept of demonetization as the move can strike at the black money and corruption but we strongly feel that before taking such a drastic step the Government should have made all the arrangements anticipating the public problems. The Government did absolutely nothing to escape common people from undergoing immense hardships,” said Singh.
The political and intellectual circles here are also agog with speculations about the future plans of Nitish who on the one hand trying to emerge a national leader in his own capacity as an alternative to Narendra Modi but supporting the PM on various national issues taking a stand different from other opposition parties.
Political observers feel that Nitish is trying to create a niche for himself in the national politics whether it is total prohibition policy or support to black money. Singh said, “Our leader (Nitish) has a national outlook and our policies are in national interest. If Centre is talking about strike on black money and corruption it is only toeing our line.”
Nitish in all his major moves attempted to give them a national colour. When he raked up the demand of special category status to Bihar and started a campaign he advocated giving similar status to other backward States too. In pursuing his total prohibition policy he is trying to make it a pan India campaign batting for prohibition in other States too.
Former Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi suspected the stand of Nitish on demonetization and asked him why his party JD(U) was opposing it when he welcomed the decision. “He should tell why his party leader Sharad Yadav joined Mamata Banerjee’s demonstration and called demonetization a financial emergency,” the BJP leader said and asked Nitish, “He should clarify if his party was really supporting demonetization or opposing itIJ”