For Bihar’s ruling JD(U), taking long-pending disciplinary action against some rebel leaders has turned into a big headache because the inability to do so has started being seen as chief minister Nitish Kumar’s weakening hold on the party.
After a month-long formal hearing of complaints of anti-party activities against about 500 JD(U) leaders and functionaries from across Bihar, including 10 MPs and six MLCs, ended on Friday, no decisions about suitable disciplinary action could be reportedly taken by the three-member disciplinary committee. More importantly, the party’s top leadership remains undecided about how to deal with three particular top dissidents who stayed away from the committee’s hearings despite several reminders.
According to sources, these dissidents — Munger MP and former JD(U) Bihar chief Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lalan Singh, Rajya Sabha member Upendra Kushwaha and MLC Prem Kumar Mani — are being seen within the JD(U) as potential threats to Mr Kumar’s leadership. “It is extremely certain now that they would be awarded punitive action, but how and when remains to be decided yet,” said a JD(U) legislator close to Mr Kumar.
All these dissidents stand accused of engaging in anti-party activities during the 2010 Assembly polls, which the JD(U) and its ally BJP won with a thumping majority. The unprecedented victory with a three-fourths majority raised Mr Kumar’s standing within the party and the alliance manifold and attracted calls for quick and visible action against dissident leaders in the greater interests of the party.
But fears that any action by the party against the three well-known dissidents could backfire politically, at least for a limited period, are said to be the reasons behind the JD(U) leadership’s indecisiveness. Besides, expelling these leaders from the party would also not harm their continuance in their elected positions in the respective legislative bodies.
Sources said while senior JD(U) leaders, including Mr Kumar himself, are currently seeking legal opinion on how to get the three dissidents’ membership of the legislative bodies terminated, a section of the party leadership is in favour of simply ignoring them without taking any action at all.
However, Mr Kumar is reportedly keen on meting out disciplinary action to further his stated aim of strengthening the state party unit.