Nitish’s Dec 24 Varanasi rally deferred; JD-U sees foul play

Nitish Kumar, who spreadheaded the efforts that led to the formation of the pan-India opposition bloc INDIA to take on the BJP in the general election next year, was scheduled to hold a public meeting in Rohaniya assembly segment, which is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi.

The proposed rally by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in Varanasi on December 24 has been deferred as his party Janata Dal-United (JD-U) was not allotted the space required for meeting, according to state’s rural development minister Shravan Kumar, who was overseeing arrangements for the event.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar (HT file)

Nitish Kumar, who spreadheaded the efforts that led to the formation of the pan-India opposition bloc INDIA to take on the BJP in the general election next year, was scheduled to hold a public meeting in Rohaniya assembly segment, which is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi.

Rohaniya constituency is dominated by Patels and the community has played a decisive role there in every assembly election since 2012, when Anupriya Patel, currently a Union minister of state, won the seat as a candidate of Apna Dal.

“We were trying to hold the rally at Inter College ground at Rohaniya. We have been told that there was pressure (an oblique reference to administration) not to give space. Now, we are looking for a new venue and will decide fresh dates in consultation with Nitish Kumar,” Shravan Kumar told reporters on Thursday.

He said the UP government was jittery with Nitish Kumar’s Loktantra Bachao, Sambidhan Bachao rally. “We had already started the campaign for the rally and two meetings were organised at Varanasi to make it a success,” he said.

No such application was filed by the JD (U) requesting for permission to hold rally, said an assistant commissioner of police in Varanasi, wishing not to be named.

This was the second rally planned by the JD (U) after Ramgarh in Jharkhand on November 21. The party has also scheduled its national executive meeting in New Delhi on December 29.

JD(U) leaders said the focus of the party is also on Azamgarh, Pratapgarh, Prayagraj, Phulpur, Ambedkar Nagar and Mirzapur in UP.

JD (U) chief national spokesperson K C Tyagi told HT that the party’s UP unit has invited Nitish Kumar to visit Phulpur, Mirzapur and Varanasi. “In addition to Jharkhand, he has also been invited by some caste federations and social groups from Haryana and Maharashtra. In all probability, he would be visiting these states in January,” said Tyagi.

Meanwhile, BJP dismissed the JD-U claim that the rally was cancelled because the venue was not allotted.

“They were afraid of crowd response. People don’t come to attend Nitish Kumar’s rally. He can’t even manage 5000-10,000 people in Bihar these days,” said Bihar BJP president Samrat Chowdhary.