NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to adopt a wait-and-watch approach for Bihar, almost expecting the new alliance to collapse soon. “Jaldi mirchi lagegi Nitishji ko unke paltu adadat ke karan (soon Nitish Kumar will get the taste of his own habit of switching sides),” a BJP leader said sarcastically. As some sources hinted, many disgruntled JDU leaders, who are still opposed to the party’s alliance with the RJD but are keeping mum now, may soon spring a surprise.
“Only people who align with corruption remain committed to unscrupulous practices,” said a BJP source, adding that the party will go into a wait-and-watch mode for the next 45 days. “The decision that Nitish has taken by snapping ties with BJP would be reciprocated in a suitable way through the court of people at an appropriate time or other emerging ways,” said a BJP functionary on Saturday, dropping hints that the party is working on a plan to take on the new Bihar government.
BJP’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Friday termed the new JD-U-RJD alliance as the return of “jungle raj” in Bihar, and cited various crime cases reported a day after Nitish joined the Mahagathbandhan.
Meanwhile, some sources in BJP hinted that the party has started preparing for mid-term assembly polls in Bihar, seeing no reason for the new government to last longer than a few months. “If the state goes for the mid-term poll, we will go to people’s court with PM Modi as the party’s mascot,” said a BJP leader, adding that the Mahagathbandhan will again prove to be “Mahathagbandhan” because of varying political interests of JD-U and RJD.
Some BJP leaders say the party had started doubting Nitish when he skipped the Niti Aayog meeting.
The BJP is also hoping for a major spilt to happen in the JD-U in the near future.“Wait for 45 days. The JD-U may get what it deserves to get from its own people, who had fought against the jungle raj,” a BJP leader said. Describing Nitish as “paltu-ram,” another BJP leader said he may do another turn by March 2023.