Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday reacted ambivalently to the CBI and ED action on ally Lalu Prasad and his family members, sending out mixed signals and triggering a fresh bout of speculation about a possible political realignment in Bihar.
“What can I say? Those who are conducting it (the raids) are conducting it, and those who are facing it are giving their reply. What have I to do with it? You all know that I have not given any reaction on this since the beginning till now. If anything happens anywhere I do not speak on it,” JDU leader Nitish said on the sidelines of a memorial service on the martyrdom day of freedom fighter Jubba Sahni in state capital Patna.
Nitish Kumar pays tribute to freedom fighter Jubba Sahni on his death anniversary in Patna on Saturday. PTI photo
The chief minister was reacting to questions by reporters on the ED and CBI raids, summons and questioning of the members of the family and associates of RJD president Lalu Prasad this week.
“Those who have been raided recently had been raided five years ago too. The raids are happening when we have come together again. So what can I say about this? There were raids in 2017 and I had asked (the RJD allies) to explain the matter. It led to some talks and the people there (the BJP) also started talking to me. I accepted their proposal and went with them,” Nitish said.
“Only they (the central agencies) can say what is the matter or what is not. These people (the RJD) are already giving answers,” Nitish added.
The Bihar chief minister and JDU leader had left the NDA in 2013 and formed the Grand Alliance with the RJD, Congress and other parties to return to power in the state in the 2015 Assembly polls. Nitish quit the Grand Alliance over corruption charges on RJD leaders and returned to the NDA in 2017. He again broke off in August 2022 and shook hands with the Grand Alliance to form a new government.
However, there has been a palpable unease between the allies for the past couple of months and it has been increasing. Nitish’s feeble reaction to the raids could only increase the tensions.
His being soft on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also lent credence to the theory that his ambivalence is a sign of treading the middle path and keeping his options open about yet another political realignment in the state. Moreover, the past master that he is in coalition politics, Nitish revels in keeping the allies and the Opposition guessing about his next move, which helps keep his supremacy intact in the state.
One of the main reasons suspected behind the unease in the Grand Alliance is the frequent attack on Nitish by RJD leaders and their insinuations that he should make way for Lalu’s younger son and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav to become chief minister.
Although Nitish has been projecting Tejashwi as the next leader of the Grand Alliance, he has never stated that the RJD leader would be the next chief minister.
When reporters pointed out that there was speculation over an imminent rearrangement in the ruling alliance, Nitish reacted with a smile: “Where are such talks about a change in the alliance happening? Do not worry about it.”
