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War of words a day after RCP Singh quits JD(U)
RCP Singh, a former Union minister, had been issued a show cause notice by the party on Saturday over alleged irregularities in his land-holdings. He resigned later in the evening.
A day after former Janata Dal (United) president RCP Singh resigned from the party in the face of corruption charges and called the outfit a “sinking ship”, national president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh lashed out saying those “trying to bore holes in the ship had been detected in time”.
Singh, a former Union minister, had been issued a show cause notice by the party on Saturday over alleged irregularities in his land-holdings. He resigned later in the evening.
Speaking to reporters at the JD(U) office on Sunday, Ranjan said: “It is true that some people were trying to make holes in the ship. But now, the conspiracy has been nipped and the ship will sail smoothly. It was the result of a conspiracy that pulled JD(U) down to 43 seats in the 2020 Assembly elections.”
Invoking the ‘Chirag Model’, which is the term the JD(U) uses to obliquely refer to the alleged part Lok Janshakti Party played in the 2020 Assembly elections to reduce its strength to 43 seats, Ranjan said: “Then, it was the ‘Chirag Model’ and now also, efforts were on to develop another ‘Chirag Model’. The big line that (chief minister) Nitish Kumar has drawn will be hard to emulate. If people want to compete with him, they should strive to draw a bigger line, not rub off the line of development and progress in Bihar.”
He also accused Singh of maintaining allegiance elsewhere while operating within the JD(U). “The fact is that today, I am the national president of JD(U) because Nitish Kumar has deputed me here. I am a caretaker. I cannot own the party. The problem is that some people wanted to use party as if they owned it and had their allegiance elsewhere. Sooner or later, he had (Singh) to go. Now that he has resigned, he is free to go wherever he wants,” Ranjan said, without elaborating on the conspiracy he was claiming.
“Everyone knows. When the time will come, we will disclose everything about the conspiracy. Those who have not seen the struggle of Nitish Kumar from 1994 to 2005 cannot understand its importance... The big line of development that he has drawn in terms of roads, bridges, electricity, potable water, drains etc. is what reflects Nitish Kumar...” he added.
Ranjan also made it clear that the JD(U) was firm on its commitment to not participating in the Union cabinet. “The decision of the Nitish Kumar, taken three years ago, about honourable share is still intact,” he said.
Talking to media persons earlier in the day, RCP Singh said that the JD(U) tried to hit below the belt, disregarding basic decency, and tried to drag in his children. “Right to property is a Constitutional right. I file income tax. All the charges against me are baseless. Let them prove if I ever paid any money from my account for the plots of my daughters,” he added.
At present, JD(U) has no representation in the Union Cabinet. When the alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in 2019, the JD(U) had demanded two Union cabinet berths. However, Singh alone made it to the Union government, leaving the Nitish-led party upset.
On Saturday, Singh had hit out at Kumar saying the charges levelled against him were meaningless. “Those who live in glass houses don’t throw stones at others. Anybody is free to buy property. Anyone can fight me, but not my family,” he had said, adding that he would remain in active politics and would chart his course along with workers who have faith in him.
CM Kumar has not made his position on the matter public so far, however,political analysts have noted several political moves made by him. Notably, he skipped the 7th governing council meeting of the Niti Aayog on Sunday, that was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier, he also skipped the swearing-in ceremony of President Droupadi Murmu.
However, on Sunday, Kumar attended a function at Bihar museum with five senior BJP ministers.
“The silence is certainly deafening. He keeps the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) interested and the BJP on the tenterhooks about his possible next move. But everyone knows nothing in the JD(U) can happen without his nod. Nitish is master political craftsman and he has made himself indispensable in state politics. He is giving ample indications that he is up to something and certainly not happy with the way BJP has been treating him despite announcing to continue with the alliance in 2024 and 2025 at the party’s national meet in Patna,. Yet, he sends contrasting signals, and that is his art,” said social analyst professor NK Choudhary.
DM Diwakar, former director of AN Sinha Institute of Social Studies, said that it was very difficult to predict Nitish’s next move. “Both are getting manifested at present. His silence tells a lot, while his party is witnessing frantic activity. Maybe he is weighing his options against a new-age BJP in the run up to 2024 general elections. He knows the BJP needs him and he also knows he can make the vital difference any side he chooses to side with despite his significantly truncated strength. But now, he also has a challenge on his home turf and the BJP central leadership does not want to disturb the Bihar set up at this stage,” he added.
Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) chief and Jamui MP Chirag Paswan, said the recent developments were the result of growing dissension within the JD(U).
“JD(U) today has two factions — one that wants to go with the BJP, and another that wants to leave no opportunity to harm the alliance partner. RCP Singh was not corrupt when he was the president of the JD(U), entrusted with the responsibility of building the organisation or representing the party in the Union ministry? What is value of allegations? The government is theirs, and they should act, not make allegations,” he said.
