Party assesses poll impact; BJP may withdraw support to Govt
The Janata Dal (United) will on Sunday formally announce the end of its 17-year-old association with the BJP, an alliance that successfully marginalised all other political outfits in Bihar politics ever since it came to power in the State in 2005. JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav is likely to make this announcement at the all-important meeting of his party leaders in Patna on Sunday.
On Saturday, State leaders of the JD(U) and party MlAs shared with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar their assessment about the electoral impact of the imminent split. While a majority of them felt that JD(U) will be severely hit due to the breakup, party MP Shivanand Tiwary jumped the guns to announce that the split was a mere formality.
“The situation is indeed very difficult. It is not an easy situation. Problems are there inside (the alliance) but attempts are also being made to rectify it,” said JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav.
However, having sensed the “mood” of Nitish, who is ready to risk the alliance for the sake of minority votes, even Bihar BJP leaders have prepared themselves for the split.
Sources claimed all BJP Ministers in the Nitish Government will submit their resignation to Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, who will take a call of future course of action depending upon the situation.
Once the formal announcement about the break-up is made, State BJP leaders could even go in for withdrawing support to the Nitish Government. "They may apparently seek dismissal of the State Government citing its lack of majority on the floor of the House," sources said.
Earlier in the day, Kumar’s invite to senior BJP Ministers, including Sushil Modi, was turned down. “What is the point discussing with him issues like NDA’s PM candidate, which does not fall in our jurisdictionIJ In any case, central BJP leaders are speaking to Nitish and Sharad Yadav on this,” said Road Transport Minister Nand Kishore Yadav. Modi and other BJP Ministers have also stopped using their official car and other facilities.
State BJP leaders also held a separate meeting to assess the situation. Though cautious in not predicting about the imminent split, Bihar BJP chief Mangal Pandey accused the Chief Minister of creating a crisis-like situation with his quit NDA threat when his own party had earlier refused to attach much importance to Narendra Modi's anointment as head of BJP's campaign committee.
"The JD(U) is parading four Independent MlAs in a bid to show its strength before the people," he added. "It is beyond comprehension; what type of alliance is this." Denied permission by the Bihar Government to hold the function of its national president Rajnath Singh at Miller School ground in Patna, the State BJP also finalised an alternative venue at Sanjay Gandhi Stadium here for the June 23 programme.
The BJP elicited support from the RSS, which hit out at the JD(U) for arm-twisting its ally on the issue of the PM candidate. In its latest issue, RSS mouthpiece Organiser said, "arm- twisting" of the BJP by the JD(U) on Modi's elevation is not good for the country and emphasised on the need for the NDA to remain united in order to oust the Congress-led UPA. "The BJP so far has only declared Modi as chairman of a forum and surely not a Prime Ministerial candidate. In this situation, the arm-twisting by the JD(U) is not good for the country," the editorial of the RSS weekly said.
The break-up will deal a deadly blow to the expansion plans of the NDA, which will be left with just three allies --- Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal and Haryana Janhit Congress.
The NDA break-up certainly brings cheers on the faces of the Congress and the likes of lalu Prasad --- who feared washout in the next election if NDA had remained united.