Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav’s assertion on Thursday that his party’s alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress is “sure to happen” remained a pipedream, as the chief protagonists — Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD leader Lalu Prasad — were in no mood to mend fences.
Although the two leaders live next door to each other, there has been no meeting between them while other party leaders have been trading charges against one another. Sharad Yadav, as an elder statesman, has been trying to hammer out a compromise and midwife the alliance.
Talking to BusinessLine from Madhepura, Bihar, Yadav said: “I never said that the alliance has been stitched. I merely said that we are working on the alliance and that it will happen.”
According to Yadav, there is only one course for all secular parties in Bihar — an alliance between the JD(U), RJD, Congress and CPI. “And that course involves fighting the BJP together,” said Yadav. “We may have differences but our main goal is to defeat the communal forces and save the nation.”
Regardless of Yadav’s ongoing efforts, Nitish seems to be working on his Plan B, which is to prepare to contest the elections without an alliance with the RJD.
Lalu’s associates, especially veteran leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, have expressed their objections to Nitish’s projection as CM candidate for any alliance that includes the RJD and JD(U).
The JD(U), on its part, has rallied around Nitish, with some leaders, such as State minister Shyam Rajak, going to the extent of accusing the RJD of “acting at the BJP’s behest”.
In such circumstances, the possibility of an alliance between the two parties seems to be getting shakier with each passing day.
The public expression of support to Nitish by the Congress has also strengthened his position and thrown up other possibilities. An alliance of Nitish with the Congress and the CPI can still wean the upper caste voters away from the BJP while retaining the Muslims and MBC vote intact.
It is, however, still a weaker alliance than the formidable consolidation of the backward castes and Muslims that Lalu and Nitish can achieve by coming together.
BJP chuffed The BJP, meanwhile, is chuffed with the proceedings. According to party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, the “splintered” challenge of Lalu and Nitish will be “decimated” by the BJP.
“It is a united BJP against these splinter groups of the former Janata Parivar. We are sure to win.
“In any case, Nitish Kumarjee has promoted Jungle Raj II in Bihar by aligning with Lalu Yadav. Incidents of murder, kidnapping, loot have risen manifold in the State in the past months,” Hussain said.