Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s four-day mysterious silence on the CBI raids on lalu Prasad family and filing of FIR against Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav by the probe agency is likely to end on Tuesday with Nitish calling an urgent meeting of his party leaders, Ministers and legislators at his residence.
Before calling the July 11 meeting, the Bihar Chief Minister on Monday called a few of his close confidents and held parleys with them. The JD(U)’s meeting comes in the wake of a meeting of the RJD leaders and legislators on Monday where it was decided that Tejashwi will not resign.
Senior RJD leader Jagdanand Singh told the media that Nitish had phoned lalu, but did not disclose what transpired between them.
In Bihar, speculation is rife that the Chief Minister might ask his deputy, Tejashwi, to resign from the council of Ministers, straining the mahagathbandhan.
Nitish even cancelled his lok Samwad programme on Monday on plea of his indisposition but actually in order to avoid the media.
Nobody was sure what was cooking up in the JD(U) or what the CM has planned but the mysterious silence of Nitish and his party leaders has definitely caused anxiety in the RJD camp. In view of Nitish’s recent stands on certain issues which were contrary to his allies, it is suspected that he might take decision on Tejashwi and on fate of alliance with the RJD amid the chorus that the mahagathbandhan was strong enough to face any eventuality.
The RJD meeting showered praise on the leadership of lalu, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi and Tej Pratap and accused BJP-led Centre for targeting the lalu family because the RJD supremo was more vocal in attacking BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has planned a BJP bhagao rally on August 27. “It is nothing new for our leader. He had earlier been harassed by the CBI and he knows how to fight the odds,” said Finance Minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui.