Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's JDU has lashed out against the Congress in a temper that suggests it may be on the verge of pulling out of the INDIA formation.

The party’s national spokesperson, K.C. Tyagi, on Monday hurled a volley of charges against the Congress's "highhandedness" and staked claim to 16 of the 40 seats in Bihar with a stern "no compromise" message.

"What the Congress is doing, is it right? They don't want to spare any seat for INDIA partners in Haryana, in Rajasthan, in Madhya Pradesh, in Chhattisgarh, in Karnataka.... Will this attitude strengthen the Opposition?" Tyagi asked, in a rash of anger, on being asked why the party was so frustrated with the Congress.

Tyagi also asked why Rahul Gandhi was not conducting his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra under the INDIA banner and why the Congress had demanded President’s rule in Bengal, a state ruled by an INDIA constituent.

“We have nothing against Rahul Gandhi’s yatra. It is good. But it would have been better had the Congress taken the lead in organising a yatra by the INDIA parties,” Tyagi said.

“We want a strong Congress. We want a strong Rahul Gandhi. But the Congress too should reciprocate, it is not doing so.”

On Bengal, he angrily said: “What is one Congress leader (Adhir Chowdhury) doing in Bengal? Why is he demanding President’s rule in the state when INDIA parties stand against Article 356? How will the alliance work in Bengal with this attitude?”

On the JDU’s unilateral demand for 16 Lok Sabha seats from Bihar, Tyagi argued: “We had won 16 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar in 2019 and we will not compromise on them in any manner. Our party was number one at 16 seats and number two at one seat when it left the NDA and joined the Grand Alliance (in August 2022).”

Tyagi added: “We have made our stand very clear. So, if the Congress and the Left parties have to talk about seat sharing, they should do so with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), not with us.”

Asked that their anger had revived fears of Nitish inflicting another political somersault and landing beside the BJP just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Tyagi responded with a sense of affront.

“This is pure insinuation as we are suggesting urgent corrections to fight the BJP,” he said, recalling how Nitish had taken the lead in getting the Opposition parties together while stressing that no fight against the BJP is possible without the Congress.

“Mayawati (the BSP supremo) is known for her stand against the Opposition block. So why are some Congress leaders eager to align with the BSP?” he asked, extending his chargesheet against the Congress.

Told that the JDU’s frustration owed to Nitish not being declared INDIA convener or projected as the PM-face, Tyagi dismissed the charge.

“Nitish’s stature is much above the convener’s post. He is the architect of INDIA,” Tyagi retorted and stressed that his party wanted “samuhik” (collective) leadership for the INDIA bloc without any particular PM-face, joint campaigns, and an early resolution of seat shares.

“Time is running out. We are underestimating the strength of the BJP,” Tyagi said, cautioning Opposition leaders against passing comments against the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, stressing it would go against popular sentiment. The JDU has unequivocally given its consent to attending the Ram temple opening at Ayodhya on January 22.

The JDU’s outbursts appear to have spread concern among INDIA partners. “They (JDU) are venting unease over the delay in seat sharing. We are hopeful it would be sorted out,” a key RJD leader said, refusing to comment on Nitish’s demand for 16 Bihar Lok Sabha seats.

Reached for their comments on Nitish’s angry posturing, BJP leaders sidestepped any official response. Privately, and probably mischievously, some of them did not rule out the possibility of another deal with the Bihar chief minister.

“The statements of JDU leaders are clear signs that Nitish is restless. Our top leadership will take the call on getting Nitish back and if that happens, we will once again sweep Bihar,” a BJP leader said. In 2019, the BJP-JDU alliance had won 39 of the 40 seats.