Amid the contradictory reports that both Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo lalu Prasad will travel to Varanasi separately and give a push to the expansion plan of their parties JD(U) and RJD, Nitish has denied any plan to visit neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
When confronted on this issue on Tuesday, the CM commented sarcastically, “I have also read this kind of reports in newspapers. But I have no plan of visiting Varanasi.”
What was more surprising that State JD(U) president Bashistha Narain Singh only a day earlier had confessed that Nitish has been invited by the partymen and he would visit Varanasi where a grand welcome would be awaiting him. “We are going for the expansion of our party in UP and under an agreement would contest some seats there in Assembly polls in 2017,” he said.
The talks on Nitish’s planned visit to Varanasi further strengthened when two senior leaders of JD(U) KC Tyagi and RCP Singh visited the town four days ago to attend a function organised by Akhil Bhartiya Patel Navnirman Sena. Tyagi said the Sena wanted to invite Bihar CM to address a mahapanchayat in Varanasi and if Nitish accepted the invitation, he may start his campaign in UP from Varanasi, the lok Sabha constituency of PM Narendra Modi.
On the other hand RJD boss lalu had declared earlier that he would travel to Varanasi and start a movement against PM Modi and the NDA Government in Centre. Soon after the results of the Assembly election were declared lalu addressing a press conference jointly with Nitish had announced, “Nitish will rule Bihar and I will start a nation wide campaign against Modi. With a lantern in hand, I will launch this movement from Varanasi.”
According to RJD sources lalu will travel to Varanasi by the end of February and first go to Jayapur, the village adopted by Modi under his Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna. After a good performance in Bihar in alliance with JD(U) and Congress, the RJD will focus on UP and try to script an alliance there in which Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) will not be a partner. Mulayam and lalu are Samdhis.
It is also speculated that JD(U) too will try that all anti-BJP and anti-SP parties come together a form a grand alliance. Party sources said Nitish already had a round of talks with Rashtriya lok Dal leader Ajit Singh.