In a bid to find a way out in the ongoing crisis in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
In their 40-minute meeting, Nitish is learnt to have discussed the current political situation both in the State as well as the Centre with Rahul at the latter’s residence. Sources said graft charges against Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD chief lalu Prasdad’s son Tejashwi Yadav figured in the discussions.
The Congress has sided with the RJD even as the JD(U) has been keeping up the pressure on the RJD chief to see that his son, named in an FIR by the CBI, tenders his resignation. Both the JD(U) and the Congress are also trying to iron out the differences after the two backed competing candidates for the post of President.
Nitish is in the national Capital to attend a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in honour of outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee.
Nitish reportedly told Rahul that the Congress leadership must stop defending ‘tainted’ lalu Prasad family. Sources said the Bihar CM reminded the Gandhi scion how he had torn an Ordinance that was dubbed as “save the convict” Bill in 2013, only a month before lalu was found guilty in a fodder scam related case. Rahul is believed to have told Nitish that he would try to discuss the issues with lalu and salvage the mahagathbandhan which is need of the hour in taking on the clout of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP’s expanding base.
The JD(U) chief’s meeting with the Congress vice-president comes at a time when there are differences over the continuation of Tejashwi in the State Cabinet, thus posing a “threat” to the mahagathbandhan grand alliance between the JD(U), the RJD and the Congress. While the RJD supremo has rejected demands of resignation of his son, Nitish is learnt to have reservations about Tejashwi’s continuance as it dents his “anti-corruption” image.
The Nitish-led JD(U) had also crossed swords with the Opposition over its support to NDA’s presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind. The Opposition had pitched for Meira Kumar as its joint candidate for the presidential polls.
Meanwhile, Congress president Sonia Gandhi also appointed a new team of Observers for Odisha to assess the political situation in the State where elections are due next year. The team comprises AICC members Jitnedra Singh, Tamrdhwaj Sahu, Ruchi Gupta and lok Sabha MP Sushmita Dev.