Nitish gets set to break alliance, BJP to retaliate

Senior state BJP leaders declined the CM's invitation to meet, asked him to speak to the party's central leadership instead

With the 17-year-old partnership between the Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar heading for a collapse, CM Nitish Kumar on Saturday sat with his lieutenants to give a final touch to the break-up plan, while BJP, too, seemed to have taken a firm stand.

In what appeared to be a new low for the relationship between the coalition partners, Deputy CM and Finance Minister Sushil Modi and Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav declined Kumar’s invitation to meet. They are learnt to have asked the CM to speak to BJP’s central leadership, as the party’s state unit had was authorised to comment on policy matters. A senior BJP leader who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “It does not make sense... they have made up their mind. Now what do they want from us? We will not be humiliated anymore.”

According to unconfirmed reports, BJP is likely to meet Governor D Y Patil soon to inform him that the party is withdrawing from the Nitish Kumar government. That, however, would not threaten the state government, as most independent MLAs have pledged their support to JD(U), which has 118 members in the Bihar Assembly.

Also, as a break-up looked imminent, most BJP ministers also discontinued use of official cars and other facilities. Some demanded that Kumar, too, resign and solicit a fresh mandate, if the ruling coalition split. “JD(U) leaders have solicited votes in the name of our coalition. This is how they got these many seats,” said Bihar BJP President Mangal Pandey.

Meanwhile, JD(U) has called a meeting of its MLAs tomorrow to announce, it is believed, a formal split. JD(U) President Sharad Yadav is also expected to announce his resignation as the NDA convenor.

JD(U) leaders also confirmed on Saturday that their party was not going to change its stand. They held BJP responsible for the break up. “We have been demanding BJP to announce a secular face as its prime ministerial candidate. However, they have chosen to ignore our demands. So, if the coalition splits, they will be responsible,” said JD(U)’s Devesh Chandra Thakur.

BJP-JD-U leaders are now busy with their strategy after the split. BJP will now circle the Nitish Government over the issues of Power, Law and Order and increasing interference of bureaucracy in the state of affairs. Meanwhile, JD-U has decided to get cozy with Congress and proposed leaders of the third front. It will target the Muslim community in the next year’s general election and bolster its secular credentials.