Nitish Kumar vs BJP: JD(U), RJD to hold parallel meet today

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Patna, Aug 09: With talks of a political realignment in Bihar increasingly doing the rounds, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and main opposition party, RJD have called for parallel meetings on Tuesday. If the JD(U)’s meeting is likely to clear many doubts over Nitish’s next move, RJD’s meeting is also of huge importance.

Multiple reports have suggested that the BJP-JD(U) alliance is at a dead end and Kumar will take a final call about the alliance during the meeting at his official residence. The meeting is scheduled to commence at 11 AM. While the outcome will be known once the meeting is over, more than one of the prospective attendees denied the party’s ties with the BJP having worsened to an extent to call for a realignment.

“Our party had held many such meetings of MPs and MLAs in the past. We have been told that the current meeting has been called to discuss organisational matters. Never heard about any major crisis in the NDA,” said Ram Nath Thakur, a Rajya Sabha member, low key but known to enjoy proximity to the chief minister by virtue of being the son of late Karpoori Thakur, the latter’s political mentor.

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Another confidant of Kumar, Leshi Singh, who is an MLA and a minister in his cabinet, said, “I was away for the last four or five days but I have an idea of how things have been. There does not seem to be any major crisis facing the NDA government. It goes without saying, though, that the party will abide by any decision taken by the chief minister”.

Meanwhile, MLAs of the opposition RJD, the largest party in the state assembly, have also been commanded by their leader Tejashwi Yadav to remain present at a meeting which will be held at his mother Rabri Devi’s Circular Road bungalow, a stone’s throw from the CM’s Anney Marg residence.

Chetan Anand, a young RJD MLA who is serving his first term, said, ”Rumours of political realignment have been afloat for a couple of years. Let us not make any rash assumptions. Once the party leadership takes any decision, it will be definitely made known to all.”