By skipping the Niti Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar has steered clear of invites by the BJP-led Union government for the fourth time now since July 17, adding fuel to the buzz over tension between allies.
Nitish Kumar on Sunday skipped the Niti Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which saw chief ministers of other states in attendance. While there was no official word on the reason behind Kumar’s absence, sources close to him said that he skipped the meeting citing post-Covid debility. The septuagenarian had tested positive on July 25.
Sources privy to the developments told News18 that Nitish Kumar had dialled Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday and has sought time to meet her.
Last month, Nitish Kumar had skipped the oath-taking ceremony of NDA pick President Droupadi Murmu. Before that, on July 17, Kumar gave a miss to a meeting of chief ministers called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss issues related to the national flag and deputed BJP’s Tarkishor Prasad instead.
He snubbed the BJP again when he skipped a dinner for outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind, hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing the oath-taking ceremony of seven newly elected members of the legislative council.
Nitish Calls Party Meet on Tuesday After Giving PM-Led Event a Miss
The JD(U) has called a parliamentary meeting of all its MPs, MLAs and MLCs on Tuesday amid a buzz of a conflict with its partner, the BJP. Informing about the meeting, senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi, however, said that there’s not much to read into it. “There will be a party parliamentary meeting on Tuesday in which all MPs, MLAs and MLCs will participate. This is a regular meeting. Please don’t read too much,” Tyagi said.
Meanwhile, Top JD(U) sources have told News18 that the alliance with BJP is “at dead end”, adding that the meeting called by CM Nitish Kumar is crucial.
The development comes a day after former Union Minister RCP Singh announced his resignation from JD(U) hours after some reports surfaced that the party had sought an explanation from him over allegations of corruption.
On Singh’s resignation, Tyagi said the matter would be discussed at Tuesday’s meeting. “The issue will be discussed and CM Nitish Kumar will decide action against him and the party will support his decision.”
The speculation of a fresh conflict between the two allies emerged after the JD(U) on Sunday said it wouldn’t join the Union Council of Ministers again. JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan said that the party wasn’t willing to have any representative in the Union Council of ministers. “We had decided in 2019, after the Lok Sabha polls, not to join the government at the Centre. We stick to that stand even now,” he said at a press meet in Patna.
Lalan Singh had also said that another “Chirag model” was being created by the BJP, hinting how RCP was working against the party’s interest. In due course we will reveal the conspiracy behind JD(U) winning just 43 seats in 2020, Singh had said.
JD(U) sources have also said that the party is said to be irked with Bihar’s projection as “terror haven by central government”. Nitish Kumar never wanted JD(U) to join the central government in 2019, sources said, adding that it was RCP Singh who made that move on his own.
RCP Singh’s good terms with the BJP leaders are well known in political circles of Bihar. His ties with Nitish Kumar, however, have soured in recent months. When the Union cabinet was expanded last year, RCP Singh became a minister at the Centre without Nitish Kumar’s consent.
According to sources, Kumar and RCP Singh relationship deteriorated after the JD(U) chief did not nominate him to the Rajya Sabha for the third time, and he had to resign from the Union cabinet.
