Even as Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday denied any rifts between his party JD(U) and ruling ally BJP and refuted charges of he snubbing a BJP MP, stern advice came his way from BJP national vice-president Prabhat Jha, reminding him of his duty to the NDA.
BJP leaders in Bihar found it intriguing when Mr Kumar said he was “shocked” to find the media reporting that he had allegedly silenced Darbhanga BJP MP and former cricketer Kirti Jha Azad in full public view. Sources in the BJP said several leaders of the national party remained indignant despite Mr Kumar’s refutation.
“I am shocked to see such reports in the media. Nothing of the kind happened, and the issue has been blown out of proportion,” said Mr Kumar to journalists after the “janata durbar” programme at his official residence. On Mr Azad’s allegation that as local public representative he was not allowed to raise issues related to water-logging, Mr Kumar said local MLA Sanjay Sarawgi had raised the issue and that he (Kumar) had instructed officials to prepare an integrated drainage scheme for the northern town after consulting local public representatives and the civil society.
On growing indications of rifts between the JD(U) and BJP, Mr Kumar said: “The NDA alliance is intact. An alliance gives its constituents freedom to express their opinion on any issue and there is no harm in this”. He, however, skirted questions about the BJP’s probability of projecting Narendra Modi as the NDA’s prime ministerial candidate, saying: “We should not talk in terms of ifs and buts.”
BJP national vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Prabhat Jha said in Patna that the BJP leadership would decide the party’s PM candidate “at an appropriate time,” and that Mr Kumar should have no doubt that Modi remains “by far the most popular” leader in India.
“Having been an anti-Congress leader all through his public life, Nitish Kumar too has a responsibility to strengthen the NDA,” said Mr Jha.