Tejashwi quashes speculations as Lalu meets Nitish amid JDU-RJD Rift rumors
Tejashwi Yadav called speculations of a rumored rift between the JD(U) and RJD divorced from reality after Bihar's deputy CM and his father Lalu Prasad Yadav met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday.
Bihar News: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav dismissed speculations of a rumored split between the Janata Dal (United) and the RJD leading in Bihar from the Lok Sabha polls, calling the rumors “divorced from the ground reality”.
Tejashwi's comments came after he and his father and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav met Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar at his residence on Friday. Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Nitish, Tejashwi claimed that rumors of a rift were disconnected from the 'ground reality'.
“I am sorry if you are asking questions that seem so far removed from reality,” Yadav said.
“Why is there so much curiosity about when seat sharing would probably be permanent in Mahagathbandhan? Has the BJP-led NDA resolved it in its own camp?,” the Bihar deputy CM asked. “Nobody cares about that,” he said.
Asked about Home Minister Amit Shah's interview to a Hindi daily in which his response to a question to Kumar, who dumped the BJP less than two years ago, was interpreted as an admission that the doors were not closed to the JD(U )-boss.
The young RJD leader replied sarcastically, “I don't know. Maybe you guys know better what Amit Shah wanted to imply.”
Yadav, who is on the ED radar and has skipped more than one summons from the agency, said, “We run a government that will not be distracted from the agenda of working for the people. The RJD and the JD(U) are firmly together and will jointly contest the Lok Sabha polls to defeat the BJP.”
JD(U)-RJD divide?
There is reportedly a rift between the two Mahagathbandhan allies as JD(U) leaders have called for an early seat-sharing deal, a suggestion rejected by the RJD supremo a few days ago.
Speculation is rife that the JD(U), which won 16 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls where it contested as an NDA partner, would not agree to a smaller number this time, while the RJD, which remained blank, would insist on a lion's share, citing his superior numerical strength in the assembly.
Will Nitish go back to NDA?
Nitish Kumar, a long-time BJP partner, had quit the alliance in August 2023, accusing the saffron party of trying to split the JD(U) and vowing to defeat the NDA in 2024 by bringing together the entire opposition.
He played a key role in the formation of the INDIA bloc and hosted the first meeting in Patna of anti-BJP leaders who agreed to come together to bury past differences.
The state's longest-serving CM recently took over as JD(U) president, replacing close aide Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan', who was rumored to have grown too close to the RJD camp.
There are also speculations that Nitish Kumar and his JD(U) will rejoin the BJP-led NDA and have close ties with the RJD ahead of the general elections.
Meanwhile, in an apparent jab at the JD(U) supremo, Bihar BJP chief said Nitish was welcome to apply for primary membership of the BJP if he wishes.
#WATCH | Patna: Bihar BJP President Samrat Chaudhary says: “…If Bihar CM Nitish Kumar wants the primary membership of the BJP, then he is welcome…” pic.twitter.com/xCETSIYdgh
— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2024
A few months ago, Kumar had chided the Congress for losing focus on INDIA due to its preoccupation with assembly elections in a few states.
Last week, he turned down the offer of a convener position in the INDIA bloc, claiming he did not want an appointment for himself and suggesting the coalition should instead focus on better coordination between partners.
However, a key aide who claimed to have witnessed what happened during the coalition's virtual meeting said Kumar was “irritated by the offer because it came too late and seemed like an afterthought, without taking into account his status as an architect of the alliance”.
Rumors are rife that many disgruntled partners might break away from the INDIA bloc and form a separate alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
On Thursday, National Conference President Farooq Abdullah said there is a threat to the INDIA bloc if a consensus on seat sharing is not reached soon. He claimed that some members might try to form a separate group.
(With PTI inputs)