Series of meetings lined up in Bihar amid speculation about NDA rift

RJD, Congress, and the Left parties have said they were ready to join forces with chief minister Nitish Kumar

A series of meetings, including chief minister Nitish Kumar’s with his lawmakers, were scheduled in Bihar on Tuesday amid speculation that the Janata Dal (United) or JD (U), may be considering walking out of the state’s ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The speculation gained much currency as opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav called a meeting with his legislators on Tuesday. Representatives of the Congress and Left parties, which are part of the RJD-led Grand Alliance, will also attend the meeting. Congress has also called a separate meeting of its lawmakers in Patna. (HT Photo)

The speculation gained much currency as opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav called a meeting with his legislators on Tuesday. Representatives of the Congress and Left parties, which are part of the RJD-led Grand Alliance, will also attend the meeting. Congress has also called a separate meeting of its lawmakers in Patna. RJD, Congress, and the Left parties have said they were ready to join forces with Kumar.

Minister and JD (U) leader Vijay Kumar Choudhary said whatever decision was going to be taken would be taken collectively while reacting to questions about the possibility of ending their alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Kumar, who met his deputy and BJP leader Tarkishore Prasad on Monday, skipped Sunday’s Niti Aayog meeting of chief ministers, the swearing-in ceremony of President Droupadi Murmu and the dinner Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted for outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind. He is believed to have made his disenchantment with the BJP apparent to the party’s central leadership.

In his 10-minute meeting with Prasad, Kumar was believed to have insisted on the removal of assembly speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha. Kumar had a spat with Sinha in March this year.

Prasad reportedly reminded Kumar of Union home minister Amit Shah’s statement that the BJP will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2025 assembly polls in alliance with JD (U). JD (U) leader Lalan Singh on Sunday was non-committal about the alliance for these polls. He said a conspiracy was hatched to cut Kumar to size by the BJP, which allowed Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan to target the chief minister during the 2020 assembly polls.

There has also been a demand from a section of BJP leaders to contest the polls in Bihar on their own. A BJP minister on Monday admitted to the crisis and expressed confidence that the tensions will be defused.

The BJP has 77 lawmakers and JD (U) 45 in the 243-member Bihar assembly. The RJD-led opposition has 112 members. JD (U) contested the 2015 assembly election as part of the Grand Alliance with the RJD and Congress before it left the coalition in 2017 over alleged corruption by RJD leaders and formed a government with the BJP.

RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari on Monday said his party was ready to embrace Kumar if he breaks ranks with the BJP. Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed echoed him.