Nitish’s statement on BJP-RJD alliance surprises political observers

Patna,(BiharTimes): Chief minister Nitish Kumar often gives his statement after coolly calculating its implications. But it seems that on Monday he, perhaps under pressure because of the Bodh Gaya blasts, committed a goof up when he said that BJP and RJD had ganged up against him in desperation and that talks are on between these two parties for electoral understanding.

But before giving this statement he failed to realize that it was his party, the Janata Dal (United), which was then showing its keenness to join the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance in neighbouring Jharkhand. Talks was well ahead about the two JD(U) MLAs joining it. Till sometimes back JD(U) had been an alliance partner of BJP and had also been in power together with it.

RJD with five MLAs had already announced its plan to join the JMM-Congress tie up. It was only JD(U), which followed it. It was only much later that it backed off from actually joining the alliance. It remains to be seen how can the same party adopt two stand in two neighbouring states––in fact both were one before November 15, 2000.

After the break up of alliance with BJP the Janata Dal (United) is caught in a fix. In both Jharkhand and Bihar, JD(U) and RJD have now similar votebank––essentially backward castes and Dalits. In Jharkhand the tribals often vote for Jharkhand parties or BJP and in Bihar the upper castes and trading community are expected to throw their weight behind the BJP.

However, both in Bihar and Jharkhand they have their eyes on Muslim votes. In Bihar they form 16.5 per cent of the population while in Jharkhand 14 per cent.

In Bihar it is RJD and JD(U), which are now in competition to woo Muslim votes while in Jharkhand their votes are likely to be divided among Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, Congress and JMM.

If this is what the most political observers feel than how is it that RJD, would go all the way to join hands with BJP. They have totally different ideologies, policies and programmes and votebanks. Any such move may be suicidal for both RJD and BJP.

The chief minister’s statement gave RJD leaders Ram Chandra Purbey, Ram Kripal Yadav and Abdul Bari Siddiqui an opportunity to ridicule him. “How can he say such an absurd thing after having been in alliance with the saffron party for 17 and a half years,” they asked. They said that the blood of BJP runs in the veins of Nitish Kumar.

The recent developments in Bihar and Jharkhand provided the Congress and Independent MLAs an opportunity to play a much larger role in the formation of the government. The BJP is now out of power in both these states.