The BJP is no longer interested in former ally Nitish Kumar’s overtures as it is now determined to consolidate its strength on its own, buoyed by its grand victories in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. This is likely to dishearten the Bihar Chief Minister, whose image continues to suffer, courtesy his alliance with Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal that is still infamously remembered for its “jungle raj” of the 1990s.
According to a source in the BJP, the issue was discussed in the party’s state executive committee meeting in Kishanganj in details. But the party leaders found a “go alone policy” for the 2019 general election and 2020 Assembly election in the state a more lucrative option.
Sources said that the Janata Dal United and the BJP were keen to revive ties before the UP elections, but the national party’s success encouraged it try its luck in Bihar alone in the future.
Though the JDU has officially denied that there was any move to join hands with the BJP, a party insider claimed many top leaders still wanted a revival of ties. The source said there is a thinking within the party that the image of Nitish Kumar government has taken a beating due to deteriorating law and order situation and charges of corruption against deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, son of Lalu Yadav. Laly Yadav is a convict in the fodder scam.
There is a growing perception that CM Nitish has not been able to act against the law-breakers due to Lalu Yadav’s pressure.
“There is also a growing feeling within the party that forging a Grand Alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav was a ‘mistake’ and there is an urgent need to correct it,” said the source. He said that Nitish Kumar’s image was never compromised while he was in the NDA.
According to the BJP sources, people of Bihar are feeling let down by the Grand Alliance government of Nitish Kumar and, therefore, the anti-incumbency will grow further in the coming years, much to the advantage of the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
BJP spokesperson Naveen Singh said Nitish Kumar was feeling suffocated in the Grand Alliance, and hence, he somehow wants to get rid of it. “He is running a government of compromise. That was not the case when he was running the government with us as he had the freedom to act against crime and corruption,” he said.
The JDU source said Nitish Kumar’s only asset was his image, which has suffered badly due to his association with Lalu. “Unlike Lalu, who commands a solid vote bank of the Yadavs and Muslims, Nitish does not have any strong vote base, except Kurmis and Koeris, who are not much in numbers. The RJD, which always boasts of being the largest party in Bihar, has started asserting itself. Its leaders want to see Tejaswhi as the next CM. In this situation, he desperately needs support of forward castes and backwards to do well in the Lok Sabha elections. This is possible only if he returns to the NDA fold,” he said.
The source argued that Muslim-Yadav combination is breaking, as was evident from the UP election results. “The Mahagathbandhan won in 2015, primarily because of Nitish’s good image,” he said. He reminded that in 2000, Nitish Kumar won due to the support from the forward castes and the backward castes, and the same can be repeated in future if Nitish is able to retain his pro-development image. That can happen by joining the NDA again, the source added.
Apparently, the JDU has been trying to do this for the last six months. There were initial backchannel talks on the issue. However, the BJP wanted to wait till the UP Assembly elections. And following its huge victory, its priorities have changed. A success in the Lok Sabha election in 2019 will pave its way to power in Bihar in 2020.
“If we manage to retain the Lok Sabha seats (32/40) in 2019, it will be easier for us to put up a brave fight in the Assembly elections the coming year (2020). As things stand today, we have a strong leader in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and good organisational man like Amit Shah. We can do it on our own and do not need any ‘baisakhi’ (of Nitish Kumar), to come to power in Bihar,” the BJP leader said.
Moreover, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Ram Vilas Paswan, who has considerable hold over dalit votes, is also opposing the idea of inducting Nitish back into the NDA fold. According to sources, his thinking is that any possible entry of CM Nitish will diminish his importance within the NDA.