Poaching of JDU MLAs mounts pressure on Nitish

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is presumably under pressure after six out seven JDU MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh defected to the BJP. The development came on the eve of JDU national executive committee meet scheduled in Patna on Saturday. Although Nitish has pretended to be okay with it, the consequences of the move may soon be felt in Bihar, reports ETV Bharat's senior reporter Ranjit Kumar.

Patna: Defection of JDU MLAs to BJP in Arunachal Pradesh is now mounting pressure on Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. Though Nitish has pretended to be normal on the development, he also knows that BJP has clearly violated the alliance 'dharma'.

Out of seven JDU MLAs, six joined BJP on Friday, on the eve of JDU national executive committee meet scheduled in Patna on Saturday. The big development clearly indicates that all is not well between JDU and BJP and soon it's repercussion would be visible in Bihar as well.

Nitish is a popular leader when the question comes about executing pressure politics. However, for the first time in the history of Bihar politics, Nitish is under pressure from BJP.

The saffron party has given a loud and clear message to JDU that the party is in the role of big brother and not going to compromise with Nitish on any issue.

Nitish yesterday had downplayed the question when journalists asked him about the Arunachal Pradesh episode by claiming that party was busy in their own programme. Nitish had also said that those who left the party have gone their own way.

Several times, JDU leaders have claimed that they have an alliance with BJP in Bihar and in several states the party has contested as their opponent. However, the development in the northeastern state has surely made a dent on the JDU's programme of expansion of the party nationally.

National general secretary of JDU KC Tyagi had expressed his displeasure over BJP poaching JDU MLAs saying that BJP is not following the alliance dharma. However, when the question was asked to the other JDU leaders today before the commencement of the national executive meet they did not utter a word.

RJD on the other hand mocked Nitish and suggested him to vacate the chair for Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. RJD MLA Bhai Birendra alleged that BJP is the party which kills their own partner.

“I really don't understand why Nitish ji wants to destroy himself and get humiliated by BJP. The kind of respect he used to get in Mahagathbandhan he is not getting with BJP now. He is stuck in the web of BJP and I would request him to break that web with the announcement of his resignation and should offer the CM's chair to Tejashwi ji, “Birendra said.

Earlier in the day, Lalu's eldest son Tej Pratap Yadav took a jibe on Nitish at Ranchi claiming that soon the NDA government in Bihar will collapse. He also accused that BJP is the party which swallows their own people.

BJP leaders of Bihar are not at all embarrassed over the development saying that it won't make the relation between JDU and BJP bitter.

“Arunachal Pradesh episode will not make the relationship bitter. Those MLAs have not left the party, it's like changing the room while living in the same house. Such things are not going to take place in Bihar, “said BJP spokesperson Dr Ram Sagar Singh.

The political experts are taking the episode very seriously and termed it a surgical strike by BJP.

“I must say that it's like the surgical strike of BJP on JDU in which the saffron party is all out to restrict Nitish. BJP has given the clear message to JDU that if Nitish will go aggressive with them, they can repeat the same episode in Bihar as well, “said Patna based political expert Lalan Singh.

Now, it has become clear that BJP will run the government in Bihar on their own terms and conditions. In days to come, the pressure will keep mounting on Nitish.

As the two-day JDU executive committee meet will end on Sunday, it would be important to see how things unfold at last.