Vinod Tawde dismisses rumours of JD(U)-RJD alliance; reaffirms NDA’s stability in Bihar
NEW DELHI: Vinod Tawde, the BJP’s national general secretary and Bihar BJP in-charge, has expressed confidence in the stability and continuity of the JD (U)-led NDA government in Bihar.
Amid rumours suggesting that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar might once again switch his party’s alliance and join the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan after 14 January, Tawde asserted, “There is no doubt about the continuation of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar.”
Tawde outrightly dismissed the rumours as a deliberate attempt by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to create a rift within the NDA.
Speaking to this newspaper, Tawde here said, “The NDA government in Bihar will complete its full term. There is no doubt about it.” He accused the RJD of using its social media networks to spread such baseless speculations, with the intent of causing a rift in the alliance.
The NDA coalition in Bihar, which includes JD(U) and BJP as key constituents, has been facing periodic speculation about its stability ever since Nitish Kumar returned from Delhi without calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi or any other senior BJP leader, including Home Minister Amit Shah, after paying tributes to former PM Dr Manmohan Singh.
Kumar has a record of abruptly switching sides from Mahagathbandhan to NDA and vice versa in the past. Nitish had previously severed his party’s political ties with the NDA in 2013, only to rejoin it in 2017 after a brief stint with the Mahagathbandhan and now is heading the NDA government in Bihar as Chief Minister. However, Nitish Kumar has recently denied such rumours and reaffirmed his commitment to the NDA, saying, “I made a mistake in the past, but no such thing will happen again.”
However, adding fuel to the speculation, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav recently said that his party’s doors remain open for Nitish Kumar. And Yadav’s statement has only heightened political chatter about a potential reshuffle in alliances ahead of the next assembly elections.
Tawde, however, remains unfazed. He reiterated that the next assembly election, due by 2025, will be fought under the leadership of Nitish Kumar in the state, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the NDA’s national face. Tawde’s remarks reflect the BJP’s intent to maintain cohesion within the NDA, despite the political buzz stirred by opposition forces.
The Bihar legislative assembly comprises 243 seats, with the NDA holding a significant majority. According to a reliable source, the BJP, being the largest constituent in the NDA coalition, aspires to retain its dominance, even as the RJD, with 79 MLAs, continues its attempts to come into power on its own or with the constituents of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in the upcoming assembly elections 2025.