PATNA: Bihar assembly Speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary on Sunday called on RJD chief Lalu Prasad at his residence in the state capital. Although it was not known what transpired in the meeting, the timing of it created a flutter in political circles. Choudhary left the official residence of former chief minister Rabri Devi, 10, Circular Road without interacting with the media.
The Choudhary-Lalu meeting lasted more than half an hour. Lalu was accompanied by his son and state environment minister Tej Pratap Yadav. The meeting comes at a time when clouds of uncertainty hover over Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s next move after re-assuming the post of JD (U) president in Delhi last Friday. State law minister Shamim Ahmed and former minister Shyam Bihari Prasad met RJD chief separately.
The development comes two days after Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh resigned from the post of Janata Dal-U president’s post at the national executive committee meeting held in Delhi on December 29.
Nitish helms his party for the third time. In 2016, Nitish became the party president after replacing Sharad Yadav. In 2013, he broke ranks with the NDA after 17 years following the projection of Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate. Nitish harboured prime ministerial ambition and took offence when the BJP nominated Modi for the top post. He became CM once again after he allied with RJD in 2015.
He later walked out of RJD-led grand alliance in 2017. In 2022, he again snapped ties with the BJP alleging that BJP was conspiring against him and trying to influence JD(U) MLAs to rebel against him. Meanwhile, Union minister Giriraj Singh claimed that Nitish would not be able to hold the post of CM for long as Lalu has intensified his pressure on him to relinquish the post and make his son and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav the new CM. Giriraj told newspersons in Begusarai (his Lok Sabha constituency) that Nitish somehow saved his party by becoming JD (U) president again but he had fallen into the trap of Lalu.
Nitish to launch Jan Jagran Yatra
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will launch a Jan Jagaran Yatra from Jharkhand on January 21, focusing on highlighting the state’s recently-published caste-based survey report. Besides Jharkhand, Nitish will speak at a similar yatra in UP and Rohtak in Haryana as part of the first phase of campaign.