A flutter has been caused in the political circles of Bihar with a senior BJP leader expressing his personal opinion that next chief minister should be from the party after the assembly polls next year in place of Nitish Kumar, who is serving his third consecutive term.
BJP MLC Sanjay Paswan sought to underscore that he meant no disrespect to the JD(U) national president but pointed out that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi in whose name all NDA constituents were getting votes.
Kumar would do well to make way and if possible, move to the Centre, leaving state politics for BJP and the second rung of his party, he said.
We(BJP) have stood by Nitish Kumar for three consecutive terms. It is time that he reciprocates by giving BJP a chance. The Lok Sabha polls have established that even he needs the magnetism of Narendra Modi to get votes, Paswan had said on Monday triggering outrage among JD(U) leaders.
Asked whom he would like to see as chief minister from BJP, Paswan said It could be (deputy CM) Sushil Kumar Modi, (BJP state president and union minister) Nityanand Rai or any one whom the BJP leadership deems fit. Nitish Kumar has served the state for long. He can now move to the Centre and leave Bihar politics for the second rung of the JD(U). It is my personal opinion.
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Paswans remarks were contrary to the stand taken by Sushil Kumar Modi himself, who had made a rare gesture by stating on the floor of the Assembly recently that the NDA would be contesting the Vidhan Sabha polls next year under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.
JD(U) leaders reacted with outrage to the remarks by Paswan. Party national general secretary K C Tyagi, state minister and deputy leader in assembly Shyam Rajak and state spokesman Sanjay Singh condemned Paswan. They urged the BJP high command to reign in the leader whom they accused of having exceeded his brief.
Notably, the JD(U) is enthused by the prospect of Kumar making history by returning to power for his fourth consecutive term and becoming the longest-serving chief minister of Bihar.
The party has been coming up with catchy slogans that with Nitish Kumar at the helm the people of Bihar have no reason to think of any alternative.
The episode has, however, provided the opposition 'Mahagathbandhan', which has been in the dumps after being drubbed in Lok Sabha polls, with ammunition to launch attacks on the formidable NDA comprising BJP, JD(U) and Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav tweeted Does the chief minister have the guts to repudiate the BJP leader? Is it not true that he refrained from releasing his partys manifesto during Lok Sabha polls to appease the mightier alliance partner? Can he deny that he sought votes in the name of Narendra Modi and his 16 MPs owe their victory to the Prime Ministers appeal?
Congress MLC Prem Chandra Mishra in his tweet said It is an insult to the chief minister. Though it is an internal matter of the NDA and Nitish Kumar is himself responsible for things coming to this pass. He allowed the BJP to flourish in Bihar.
The RLSP, headed by former minister Upendra Kushwaha, who quit the NDA and joined the Grand Alliance ahead of Lok Sabha polls, dismissed the entire episode as a farce.
The government in the state has been a complete failure on all counts. To divert public attention, the BJP and the JD(U) are indulging in noora kushti (a fixed fight), RLSP national general secretary Fazl Imam Malik said in a statement.
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