Wrangling between Bihar’s ruling allies JD(U) and BJP over Rajya Sabha seats and the BJP’s final surrender before the JD(U)’s unyielding pressure is proving more damaging to the national party’s state unit.
Several leaders in the BJP’s Bihar unit feel deeply hurt as much for the senior ally’s pressure tactics to gain at the BJP’s cost as for the manner in which the BJP central leadership went about choosing the party candidates in such scenario. Rejection of the candidature of veteran BJP leader and industrialist R.K. Sinha at the last minute, after several promises made to him initially, has come as a shock to many leaders and workers in the Bihar unit.
Mr Sinha, a prominent Kayastha leader widely considered to have played crucial roles for the BJP’s rise in Bihar in the past elections, was unexpectedly snubbed in favour of Dharmendra Pradhan, co-in-charge of the BJP’s Bihar affairs. Most BJP leaders found Pradhan’s nomination surprising as Mr Sinha had overwhelming support from both the allies, including the support of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, BJP state president C.P. Thakur and senior leaders like Ravi Shankar Prasad and Shatrughan Sinha.
“The BJP has grown very large and internal conflicts have also grown. Although senior central leaders should be paying close attention, they seem uninterested. This is not in the best interests of the party,” said a sulking Mr Sinha on Tuesday.
He had come to Patna from Delhi with his nomination papers ready after assurances by central leaders, but he said he finally decided not to submit them as requested by Mr Thakur.
Mr Sinha, however, said he had no plans to quit the BJP. “Why should I? I am a founder-member of the party and my efforts have made the BJP’s position so strong in Bihar,” he said, adding he was happy at Mr Prasad’s nomination for the RS. “It seems the central leadership’s ears were filled against me,” said the leader who has been overlooked by the BJP several times earlier, too.