Lack of cohesion in Grand Alliance on display at Kushwahas

Lack of cohesion in the opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar once again came to the fore on Friday when a constituent of the five-party formation struggled to find support for his state-wide stir demanding better educational and employment prospects.

Upendra Kushwaha, a former Union minister, who heads the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, looked visibly let down at the Millar High School where he stood as part of the state-wide series of "manav shrinkhla" (human chains) with only Vikassheel Insaan Party founder Mukesh Sahni beside his side, in addition to leaders of his own outfit.

When approached with questions by reporters, Kushwaha could barely conceal his frustration as he claimed the event organized on the occasion of veteran socialist leader Karpoori Thakurs birth anniversary was a "success" and promptly asked Sahni to take over, glum facedly fixing his gaze on his mobile phone to receive inputs about programmes success elsewhere.

 

Sahni sought to downplay the absence of leaders of the RJD

the largest constituent as well as Congress and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhis HAM, claiming "all had their own party programmes but all have pledged in principle support to Kushwahas cause".

Notably, while the RLSP chiefs programme was underway, the RJDs top brass was attending a function at the party office barely a few hundred metres away, organized on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Thakur, whom Lalu Prasad had succeeded as the leader of the opposition in Bihar assembly after death.

Kushwahas programme on Friday was in sharp contrast with a similar event organized by him two years ago on a similar issue while he was the Union minister of state for HRD and RJD leaders Shivanand Tiwary and Ram Chandra Purve had dropped in, apparently without any formal invitation.

The RJD leaders gesture at the function from which leaders from other NDA constituents like BJP, Chief Minister Nitish Kumars JD(U) and Ram Vilas Paswans LJP had stayed away from, had triggered Kushwahas disaffection with the coalition of which he was then a part.

It had ultimately led to his resignation from the Union council of ministers and gravitating to the Grand Alliance less than a year later.

Decimated in the Lok Sabha polls last year in which it won only one out of 40 seats, the grand alliance has been struggling to pose a credible challenge to the NDA, despite factors like anti-incumbency sentiment which Kumar might be facing in his third consecutive tenure and widespread resentment against the BJP over CAA-NPR-NRC.

Factors like a temperamental Manjhi frequently blowing hot and cold over "lack of coordination" within the five-party formation and the RJDs "unilateral" declaration of Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Ministerial candidate leaving other coalition partners feeling slighted have rendered the opposition grouping a divided house.