Bihar’s ruling NDA allies, the JD(U) and BJP, engaged in brinkmanship on Tuesday, exchanging broadsides even as chief minister and JD(U) stalwart Nitish Kumar defended himself against accusations over the Godhra train burning incident and the Gujarat riots that followed.
A day after refusing to speak more on the JD(U)’s avowed opposition to Gujarat CM Narendra Modi’s potential candidature for the prime ministership, Mr Kumar indirectly blamed his Gujarat counterpart for the 2002 riots. “If it were an incident like derailment of a train or a collision, I could be held responsible as railway minister. It is the state government’s duty to maintain law and order,” said Mr Kumar in response to charges levelled against him by ally BJP and his main Bihar rival, the RJD. Referring to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s renewed attacks, he said: “Some people have a habit of ignoring facts.”
JD(U) national spokesman Shivanand Tiwary reiterated the JD(U)’s stand on Mr Modi and dared the BJP to walk out of Bihar’s alliance government. “They (BJP) are protesting our stand, but have they resigned? We have neither tied the BJP’s legs nor have we bowed before them asking them to continue supporting us,” he said.
Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi (BJP), long considered as sharing an excellent rapport with Mr Kumar, censured the CM’s earlier pronouncements.