When Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar was publicly criticising Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Singh Yadav on Tuesday in lucknow, his Bihar ally and RJD boss lalu Prasad declared that his party would not field candidates in the ensuing UP Assembly election and instead help Samajwadi Party.
Nitish went to lucknow to attend a function organised by BSP deserter RK Chowdhary’s Bahujan Samaj Swabhiman Sangharsh Samiti (BS4), his sixth visit to UP in three months, where he was all critical of Mulayam and Akhilesh. The JD(U) is making all out efforts to extend its base in the neighbouring State in view of the election and the party is trying to have understanding with small regional parties.
Same time around, lalu in Gopalganj made it clear that his party would keep distance from UP but do everything possible to help the SP. “Mulayam Singh is my samdhi (lalu’s daughter is wedded to Mulayam’s grand nephew) and we have to help him. The objective will be to finish BJP and RSS.”
While RJD will not contest the polls, lalu will travel to UP to stump for SP. He also expressed the view that the unity among secular parties is needed in UP poll to trounce BJP. Sources close to lalu quoted the RJD chief as saying that Nitish’s efforts in UP would hardly make any difference. “But Nitish’s presence in UP poll arena may only help SP as he will only cut into the votes of BJP,” he reportedly told RJD leaders.
Echoing the sentiments of his father, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said his party would not take part in UP polls but definitely support SP. “The Akhilesh Government is doing well in UP,” he added. On being asked about Nitish’s UP mission, he said it was JD(U)’s decision and each party has different principles and priorities and the liberty to fight polls. “We are supporting SP in UP polls as RJD chief wants all secular parties come on one platform.”
Nitish however, wants to keep distance from Mulayam in view of his last minute pullout from the Maha gathbandhan stitched before Bihar polls and the SP fielded a number of candidates in Assembly election in October-November last. The Bihar CM had squarely blamed Mulayam and leaders of SP for creating hurdles in the unity of Janata Parivar constituents. Finally there had been electoral alliance only among RJD, JD(U) and Congress which jointly got two-third majority. The relations between Mulayam and Nitish further soured when the SP chief decided to contest polls in Bihar all alone.
Undeterred by RJD’s different way in UP, Nitish has stepped up his activities in the neighbouring State and trying to rope in smaller parties. To further expand his mission, Nitish called on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in New Delhi on Wednesday and told her about his mission UP and the proposed formation of anti-BJP and anti-Samajwadi Party front. Banerjee reportedly gave her support to him. He said the Jatavs of UP were with Mayawati but other Dalit castes were looking for some alternative and Chowdhary’s BS4 has adopted similar philosophy as propagated by Kanshi Ram through his Dalit Soshit Samaj Sanghrash Samiti (DS4) which the late leaders had formed in 1982 which later on became BSP.