Caste Census: A bridge to connect Nitish and Tejashwi

Nitish is using the tool of the cased-based census as a pressure tactic and also keeping his option open besides sending a message to BJP that he has not become the Chief Minister at the mercy of the saffron party. It will not be surprising if Nitish once again joins the Grand Alliance, writes ETV Bharat's Amit Bhelari.

Patna:Caste-based census has become the bridge to connect Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav. Despite the political differences both leaders are meeting each other on the issue of caste census. On the other hand, Nitish's meeting with Tejashwi has not gone down well with alliance partner BJP as they are anticipating that something is cooking between both the leaders.

BJP's apprehension is obvious as Nitish and Tejashwi are also holding closed-door meetings on the pretext of the same issue. Of late, it has been observed that Nitish has become soft towards Tejashwi and the opposition leader has also toned down his attack on the Chief Minister. The timing of proximity between the two leaders is raising the eyebrows of leaders from other camps as well. Political analysts opined that Nitish is resorting to pressure politics to keep the BJP under check. However, some hinted that there is more to it than meets the eye between JDU and RJD.

It is hard to ignore any of the above-mentioned possibilities as the meeting of top leaders always has some hidden agenda. On May 11, Tejashwi gave a deadline of 48 to 72 hours to Nitish over the caste census and warned that otherwise, he will decide his own course of action. Within 24 hours, Nitish gave time to Tejashwi to meet him at his official residence. Both held a closed-door meeting for 45 minutes. It is believed that apart from caste-based census, Nitish and Tejashwi discussed other political issues as well and a secret deal was also made between them.

Sources in the RJD and JDU did not disclose what transpired in the meeting between both leaders but hinted that more than the caste census, the discussion was regarding the political scenarios of the state. “If needed, Nitish Ji could have ignored the ultimatum of Tejashwi but within 24 hours, CM called him for a meet. It proves that the caste-based census was just an alibi for the meeting but the discussion was about something else. You cannot deny the fact that something is brewing between JDU and RJD. It is premature to predict at the moment but maybe the outcome would be visible in days to come,” a senior JDU functionary told ETV Bharat on the condition of anonymity.

Although it will be premature to jump to a conclusion about the recent development in Bihar, it clearly sends a message that all is not well in the NDA alliance and Nitish is exploring other options. There is a solid reason behind it as the BJP leaders keep on attacking Nitish's government. Nitish has been demanding special category status for Bihar which has been rejected by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

Similarly, BJP leaders are continuously demanding to implement a population control policy and uniform civil code which JDU is vehemently opposing. More recently, BJP demanded to stop the loudspeaker during the Azaan apart from offering Namaz on road. Nitish has all the reasons to get upset with the BJP, especially in the context of speculation regarding the BJP mulling to replace him before 2024 as Chief Minister of Bihar. As a seasoned politician, Nitish too has understood the situation and is acting accordingly.

Last month, both Nitish and Tejashwi, met during the Iftar party. First Nitish visited Tejashwi's residence to attend the Iftar and second-time Tejashwi visited JDU's iftar where Nitish was also present. Now, it was the third time when both leaders met on the issue of the caste-based census in less than a month. Soon after meeting with Nitish, Tejashwi said that Nitish had assured him that soon caste-based census would be conducted in the state.

Tejashwi also said that Nitish has promised him that soon all-party meeting would be called in Patna to take a final call on the issue. Several meetings have been called on the issue and a 10-member delegation led by Nitish and Tejaswi had already met Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the demand. However, nothing much has changed since then.

Interestingly, when Nitish assured Tejashwi, the BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal was quick to respond saying that there was no need for the caste-based census. There is a divergent view between JDU and BJP on the issue and that may be the reason that Nitish is leaning towards Tejashwi as they have the same agenda. Nitish is using the tool of the cased-based census as a pressure tactic and also keeping his option besides sending a message to BJP that he has not become the Chief Minister at the mercy of the saffron party.

It will not be surprising if Nitish once again joins the Grand Alliance. LJP (R) leader Chirag Paswan too made similar claims saying that a closed-door meeting is taking place to save the chair as Nitish has walked down to 10, Circular Road to meet Tejashwi. Now, the caste-based census will remain a bridge between Nitish and Tejashwi for a long time. This issue would be brought up in the public domain time and again as per political requirements.