After days of hectic parleys between the BJP and JD(U) here, the focus will now shift to the latter’s two-day meeting in Patna where the party may take a final call on the alliance. Despite last ditch efforts by the BJP top brass to keep the 17-year alliance with the JD(U) intact, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar displayed a negative attitude.
Taking a lyrical jibe at the BJP, Nitish said, “Log dua dete hain jeene ki, dawa karte hain marne ki. Dushwari ka sabab yeh hain (People wish us long life, but give medication to cause death. This is the crux of the problem).”
His party president Sharad Yadav said no ultimatum was given to the BJP. The NDA alliance exists for now but the tie-up has to continue under the norms of the NDA national agenda, and there appears to be a few transgressions.
The JD(U) has called all its MLAs and MLCs for the meeting on Saturday and Sunday.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj reached out to the JD (U). “Only a united Opposition can defeat the Congress. Whenever Opposition got united, the Congress was defeated. Therefore, the NDA’s unity is a historical necessity. We must do everything to keep the NDA united.”
The BJP leaders said they had not made any offer to the JD(U), and the party was not going to make any changes.
“Appointing Narendra Modi as election committee chief is an internal matter, and there can be no compromise,” a senior BJP leader said.
Sharad Yadav said on Friday: “The JDU had maintained that Modi’s elevation was an internal matter of the BJP. But we have objections to the remarks made by the BJP leaders after that. At Goa, speeches went beyond (agreed) national agenda.”
As the breakup appeared imminent, senior Left leader Sitaram Yechury met Sharad Yadav. As Nitish had met Trinamool chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and endorsed the formation of a federal front, the Left is exploring if a non-Congress, non-BJP Front could fructify where they can have an active role. The Left will not align with the Trinamool.
As if the breakup may not be that smooth, reports indicated that the JD(U)-led Bihar Government has denied permission to the BJP to hold a function for its president Rajnath Singh in Patna.