NDA may be hit in JD(U)-LJP war of attrition

PATNA: LJP’s relentless attack on chief minister Nitish Kumar has not only sparked speculation about its possible impact on NDA’s poll performance but also put BJP in a spot, which forced the saffron party to call out ‘rebel’ LJP and strongly back the leadership of JD(U) president and CM Nitish Kumar.


BJP state president Dr Sanjay Jaiswal and deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi along with Nitish clarified their stand vis a vis LJP in a joint press conference on Tuesday to announce their seat-sharing formula. “We have no confusion in our minds,” Nitish said.

But

LJP chief Chirag Paswan

’s sustained attack on the programmes and performance of CM Nitish Kumar for the last over three months and the stoic silence maintained by BJP brass so far had created a perception in the political circles that the son of Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan was playing to a game plan chalked out somewhere else with a “hidden agenda”.

The BJP leaders on Tuesday did not deny that LJP was a part of the NDA at the Centre where Ram Vilas is a minister. Dr Jaiswal, in a damage control exercise, said only those who have faith in the leadership of Nitish will remain in the “NDA in Bihar”. At the same time, it asked LJP not to use the photographs of PM Modi for its electioneering or else they may have to move the Election Commission.

The LJP’s decision to field candidates against JD(U) in the three-phase Bihar election from October 28 to November 7 and Chirag’s statement on Monday that his party will form the government with BJP in the state left JD(U) seething with anger against the young Paswan, who is projecting himself as a chief ministerial candidate through his ‘Bihar first, Bihari first’ slogan.

Both LJP and JD(U) have made it clear on several occasions that they have never been allies in Bihar, but Nitish, without taking Chirag’s name’, on Tuesday asked did Ram Vilas get elected to the Rajya Sabha without the JD(U) support?

In a restrained statement to the media, JD(U) spokesman Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said Chirag is still to test political waters outside the shadow of his father and the mandate will make him feel his grassroots strength. “The people of Bihar are not swayed by big talks. Chirag has neither any standing of his own nor of the issues on the ground. In dynasty politics, people harbour ambitions without making many contributions,” he said.

BJP’s general secretary Devesh Kumar, however, downplayed the fear of any damage to the NDA prospects due to Chirag and reiterated the party stand that “it remains steadfast” in adhering to the coalition dharma. “BJP and JD(U) have been very old and dependable allies and people appreciate it. People will vote on our governance track record and PM Modi’s image,” he told TOI on Tuesday.

Opposition RJD is enjoying the developments in the NDA and sees it as advantageous for the Mahagathbandhan, which has, at least, clarity on alliance and electoral issues. “Now, NDA means ‘negative and defective alliance’. Their cadres are confused. BJP and JD(U) will have to suffer irreparable damage in the election, which the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan is going to win hands down,” RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwary told TOI.