Grand alliance in Bihar to set up Coordination Committee

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Patna, Aug 13:
A
coordination
committee,
which
the
JD(U)
kept
pressing
for
while
in
the
BJP-led
NDA,
may
be
set
up
to
ensure
smooth
functioning
of
the
“Mahagathbandhan”
(Grand
Alliance)
that
now
rules
Bihar
upon
the
entry
of
Chief
Minister
Nitish
Kumar,
news
agency
PTI
reported.

There
were
indications
to
this
effect
on
Friday
evening
when
MLAs
of
the
CPI(ML),
the
fourth
largest
constituent
of
the
Grand
Alliance,
called
on
the
Chief
Minister,
the
JD(U)’s
de
facto
leader,
at
his
residence.

“The
chief
minister
was
strongly
in
favour
of
a
coordination
committee
and
we
felt
the
same.
No
ally
is
likely
to
have
any
objection.
It
may,
therefore,
come
up
in
due
course,”
CPI(ML)
MLA
Sandeep
Saurav
told
PTI.

The
Grand
Alliance
at
present
comprises
seven
parties
–
JD(U),
RJD,
Congress,
CPI(ML),
CPI,
CPI(M)
and
HAM
–
which
together
have
more
than
160
MLAs
in
the
243-strong
assembly.

Bihar
Dy
CM
Tejashwi
meets
Sonia,
Oppn
leaders
in
Delhi,
says
his
state
shown
way
to
country

Notably,
while
the
JD(U)
and
the
BJP
were
still
in
an
acrimonious
tie-up,
many
leaders
of
the
former
had
stressed
the
need
for
a
coordination
committee
which
was
in
place
during
Atal
Bihari
Vajpayee’s
time
with
George
Fernandes
as
its
convenor.

JD(U)
leaders
were
of
the
view
that
the
absence
of
such
a
committee
left
different
constituents
with
no
platform
to
voice
their
divergent
opinions
before
each
other
and
hence
they
ended
up
doing
so
in
the
media,
leading
to
deterioration
in
relations.

Though
the
BJP
seems
firmly
in
saddle
with
a
brute
majority
in
the
Lok
Sabha,
the
NDA
is
in
tatters,
with
most
of
its
prominent
constituents
including
TDP,
Shiv
Sena
and
Siromani
Akali
Dal,
now
out
of
the
coalition.

Moreover,
the
need
for
such
a
committee
is
likely
to
grow
stronger
as
the
Grand
Alliance,
at
present
limited
to
Bihar,
may
evolve
into
a
formation
with
wider
appeal
across
several
other
states.
Chief
Minister
Nitish
Kumar
has
expressed
his
intention
to
work
for
a
united
opposition
to
take
on
the
BJP’s
hegemony.

Tejashwi
Yadav
gets
‘Z-plus’
security
from
Bihar
govt

To
this
end,
the
chief
minister
is
also
expected
to
visit
New
Delhi
next
week,
shortly
after
the
expansion
of
his
cabinet.
In
the
national
capital,
Kumar
is
likely
to
meet
top
opposition
leaders,
including
Congress
interim
president
Sonia
Gandhi,
said
sources
close
to
him.

Meanwhile,
Saurav
also
said
that
the
CPI(ML)’s
state
committee
meeting
is
scheduled
here
on
Saturday
which
will
be
attended,
among
others,
by
secretary
general
Dipankar
Bhattacharya.
Bhattacharya
had
earlier
this
week
indicated
that
the
party
might
not
join
the
new
government,
preferring
to
support
it
from
outside,
though
he
had
pitched
for
a
“common
minimum
programme”.

Saurav
said
that
Bhattacharya
may
call
on
the
chief
minister
to
discuss
a
further
plan
of
action
with
regard
to
building
an
anti-BJP
front.

Besides
the
12-MLA-strong
CPI(ML),
CPI
and
CPI(M)
which
have
two
MLAs
each,
have
decided
to
extend
outside
support
to
the
government.