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Congress repeatedly insulted Nitish Kumar, INDIA bloc collapsing: JD(U)'s KC Tyagi
KC Tyagi's statement comes amid strong indications that Nitish Kumar is planning to quit the ruling 'Mahagathbandhan' in Bihar and return to BJP's fold.
In a significant statement amid the political turmoil in Bihar, Janata Dal (United)'s political adviser and spokesperson KC Tyagi on Saturday accused the Congress of repeatedly "insulting" state chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Tyagi claimed that the INDIA bloc is on the verge of collapse and added that Kumar could not see how the INDIA bloc parties could fight the "all-powerful" BJP. Follow LIVE updates of the political turmoil in Bihar.
"The INDIA bloc is on the verge of collapse. The alliance of INDIA bloc parties is almost over in Punjab, West Bengal and Bihar," Tyagi was quoted as saying by PTI. “…Kumar never hankered after a position in the alliance but a section of the Congress leadership repeatedly insulted him.”
Tyagi said that the goal and intentions with which Kumar, the JD(U) president, succeeded in bringing non-Congress parties with the Congress have come unstuck. He also added that Kumar was "misunderstood".
Further criticising the INDIA alliance, Tyagi added that Kumar succeeded in bringing together several parties in Patna but the entire process became so limp that the INDIA bloc has had no joint meetings on leadership and agenda even as the Lok Sabha elections neared, according to PTI.
The statement from the senior JD(U) leaders comes amid strong indications that Kumar is planning to quit the ruling 'Mahagathbandhan' in Bihar and revert to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
If Kumar makes the switch, as rumoured, it will be the fourth such move in the past decade and the second this term.
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Earlier, the signs of straining ties in the ruling alliance were apparent after deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav skipped the Republic Day celebrations at Raj Bhavan, where Kumar was present.
The two did not exchange a word in the parade held in Patna soon after. “Ask those who were not present why they skipped the function,” Kumar told reporters later. At the Raj Bhavan, the CM was seen chatting with the leader of the Opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha, and JD(U) minister Ashok Choudhary was sitting on the chair allotted for the deputy CM.
The JD(U) has 45 members in the 243-member Bihar assembly while the NDA has 82. A party or a grouping needs 122 lawmakers to form the government. The RJD, Congress, and Left parties have 114 lawmakers. The RJD is the single-largest party with 79 lawmakers.
