PATNA: Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar who aspires to emerge as a rallying point for Opposition unity, is facing a tough challenge on his home turf as former union minister RCP Singh is the latest one to launch a campaign against him.
Singh has started his ‘Badlo Bihar Abhyan’ from Kharagpur in Munger district, the Lok Sabha constituency of JD (U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Sinha aka Lalan Singh. The former union minister who was once considered a close aide of Nitish had annoyed the latter when he had joined the Union cabinet without any proper consent.
After he lost his ministerial post, he launched blistering attacks on Nitish during his media interactions and also on other occasions. “Nitish is boarding a sinking ship and so I have deboarded it. This ship is sinking due to the mistake committed by its captain (Nitish),” he quipped.
Taking a dig at Nitish`s ongoing ‘Samadhan Yatra’, RCP Singh said that the CM’s ‘Yatra’ was merely a ruse to keep himself away from the state capital. If Nitish will be in the state capital, he will face difficulties of various hues and so he is doing ‘Yatra’, he remarked.
Speaking about his future plans, RCP Singh said, “Whether I join any other party or not, I will definitely not join the grand alliance. When NDA was in power, there were no differences among allies but the situation has changed now.”
Sharpening his attack on Nitish, RCP Singh told newspersons that "the CM was only passing his time as the grand alliance would be completely finished in the time to come."
“The Chief Minister is not able to do his work as every constituent of the grand alliance has its own agenda. Nitish was given the mandate to govern Bihar as CM till 2025 but he is only passing his time,” he remarked.
He also alleged that the JD (U) and the RJD were not having a cordial relationship as Nitish`s decision to form government with the RJD by snapping ties with the BJP was a wrong decision.
Nitish is also facing an attack from his former party colleague and poll strategist Prashant Kishor who is attacking him and his government without mincing words.
Similarly, senior JD (U) leader Upendra Kushwaha has also raised a banner of revolt against Nitish. It is being speculated that Kushwaha is contemplating joining BJP as he was allegedly not given due respect in the party by Nitish.
Nitish is also facing flak from within the grand alliance as an RJD MLA Vijay Kumar Mandal had said last month that corruption was rampant in the state right from the block level to the secretariat level. He had also questioned Nitish`s Samadhan Yatra when farmers were in deep trouble.