Bihar’s ruling allies JD(U) and BJP witnessed an ugly fall in their souring mutual relations and headed for a split on Friday as the BJP openly accused the JD(U) of trying to poach on its legislators and denying it space for an upcoming programme of BJP chief Rajnath Singh.
Chief minister and JD(U) stalwart Nitish Kumar, on returning from his Seva Yatra tour of the state, amply hinted that the regional party was contemplating on a future without its 18-year-old ally.
He described the present situation as “certainly a difficult one” and then held a meeting of his trusted aides at his residence in what party sources said was to discuss “how and when to announce the end of the alliance”.
“We have to decide what has to be done.”
“The alliance being very old, many want it to be taken forward while many others want the ties to be snapped.”
“The emerging situation is such that it is difficult for us,” said Mr Kumar at the Patna airport. Quoting an Urdu couplet alluding to the BJP’s attitude following Narendra Modi’s recent elevation, Mr Kumar said: “Dua detein hain jeeney ki, dawa kartey hain marney ki; Dushwari ka yehi sabab hai”. (The difficult dilemma is that they are blessing us for life, but prescribing medicines for death.)
Even as most of the sulking ministers of the BJP, including deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, stayed away from their offices for the third consecutive day in quiet protest at the JD(U)’s “heightened arrogance,” the saffron party’s leaders openly levelled charges of “undemocratic actions” on the JD(U).
BJP’s Bihar unit president Mangal Pandey told journalists after a core committee meeting at Sushil Kumar Mood’s residence that the JD(U) was trying to split the BJP legislators and that the regional party had denied the BJP permission to hold a function of Rajnath Singh slated on June 23.