Bihar Political Crisis: Kushwaha Claims Nitish ‘Worried, Disturbed’ In Mahagathbandhan; ‘No Sign’ Of Kumar Joining NDA, Says Akhilesh

Bihar Political Crisis: Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal (RLJD) president Upendra Kushwaha on Friday claimed that JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar was "worried and disturbed" in the Mahagathbandhan alliance and might

Bihar Political Crisis: Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal (RLJD) president Upendra Kushwaha on Friday claimed that JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar was “worried and disturbed” in the Mahagathbandhan alliance and might be mulling severing ties with the bloc.

Meanwhile, commenting on the emerging political turmoil in Bihar, Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav said “no sign” of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar quitting the INDIA bloc and rejoining his former ally BJP-led NDA.

“How can I tell what will happen in Bihar, I am not a future teller. But indications are coming out that there is JDU versus RJD going on. And there are indications that Nitish Kumar is worried and disturbed in Mahagathbandhan and wants to exit the alliance,” Upendra Kushwaha told news agency ANI.

The RLJD chief also downplayed his Union Minister Nityanand Rai, saying that he frequently meets the BJP leader and their meeting had no particular agenda.

“We frequently meet. We have met before quite a lot. Nityanand Rai has frequently visited my residence, when I go to Delhi, I also meet him. Yes, these are election times, so it is normal that discussions will happen on the current situation. But there was no particular agenda for the meeting,” he said.

On rumours about RJD trying to persuade Jitan Ram Manjhi to come to its side, Upendra Kushwaha also said that the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief is a senior figure of NDA and will remain in it.

“Jitan Ram Manjhi is in NDA and will remain with it. He is a senior figure in NDA. There is no confusion about this,” he said.

Bihar political crisis

Speculations are rife within Bihar political circles with the rumored return of Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal (United) to the BJP-led NDA fold as the Bihar CM’s ties with INDIA bloc partners turn sour.

Sources in both the BJP and the JD(U) suggested such a possibility but it remained unclear if Kumar, the unquestioned leader of his party, has finalised a deal with the BJP top brass, news agency PTI reported.

Nitish Kumar severed ties with the BJP back in 2022 and the saffron party has since maintained that its doors were permanently closed to Bihar’s longest-serving chief minister. However, of late, BJP leaders have displayed a more conciliatory attitude towards Kumar even as INDIA bloc’s internal strifes continue to mount as the general elections inch closer.

‘No sign’ of Nitish joining NDA

Commenting on the development, Kumar’s INDIA bloc ally and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav asserted that there is “no sign” of the Bihar Chief Minister, a key figure in the opposition alliance, returning to the NDA.

Yadav also expressed his hope that Nitish will strengthen the INDIA alliance, formed to take on the BJP-led central government in the upcoming general elections.

“There is no such sign. We hope that Nitish Kumar will not go to NDA. He will strengthen the INDIA alliance,” Yadav said.

Nitish Kumar defeated the BJP in the 2015 assembly elections, in alliance with the RJD. However, two years later, he dumped Lalu Yadav’s party and joined the NDA.

Sushil Modi was Deputy Chief Minister in the NDA government in Bihar in 2022, before Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar severed ties with the ally BJP and partnered with the RJD and the Congress again.

Armed with the support of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (Grand Alliance) Kumar quit the BJP in August 2022 and stripped the party out of power.