Patna: With RJD making it clear that their leader Tejaswi Yadav will not resign from the post of Deputy Chief Minister, the ball in now in Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar's court, who has called a meeting of party's MLAs, district presidents and MPs here on Tuesday.
It is believed that Nitish will break his silence over last week’s CBI raids on RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav’s residence and lodging of an FIR with Lalu’s son and Bihar Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav’s name.
RJD's decision to back Tejaswi, which was taken in the meeting of party legislature on Monday, will likely re-shape the Mahagathbandhan.
Kumar was in Rajgir, almost 105 km from Bihar capital – Patna, when CBI raided Lalu's house and other locations related to the leader. Although a senior JD(U) leader, who was with the CM at the time, denied that Nitish was aware of the raids. He, however, admitted that the CM was not keen to meet the Congress-led opposition Presidential nominee Meira Kumar. The official added that the RJD and Congress were planning to embarrass the CM propelling him to move out from Patna and recuperate in Rajgir.
The next morning, raids on Lalu and his family, forced Nitish to call a few senior leaders for deliberation amid an already strained relationship with alliance partners RJD and Congress.
First thing the CM did was to direct all party leaders not to speak a word on the raids. They followed suit. However, the Congress openly supported Lalu and sided on his accusation that the CBI was following PM Narendra Modi's instructions.
Nitish, who has been pioneering new ways to hit Benami properties, had to take a call this time as the third accused in the FIR was none other than his deputy, Tejaswi. This development has grown his disenchantment with Lalu, who the JD(U) believes tried to broker a deal with BJP central leadership for loosening the noose on his sons in various corruption charges.
Nitish is under pressure. Not that anyone else has caused this but his own set parameters, including his zero tolerance against corruption, forcing him to re-think the alliance with RJD. Though BJP and allies are fuming over his silence but this in itself speaks volume.
The option of running the government taking Tejaswi along does not hold ground. Nitish has so far compelled five ministers and three party leaders to resign from their posts on charges of corruption. The most glaring example was Jeetan Ram Manjhi who had to quit, in 2005, within four hours of swearing-in when a vigilance report of his involvement in B.Ed college scam surfaced.
RJD leaders ruled out any possibility of Tejaswi resigning, citing Uma Bharti, who has been charge sheeted in the Babri Masjid demolition case. BJP leaders are trying to play in the troubled waters and continue with their unsolicited advice to RJD and JD(U). Senior Party leader Sushil Modi has suggested that Lalu grab this chance and shun dynasty politics by appointing senior leader and state's finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui as Deputy to Nitish. On the other hand BJP and its allies are questioning Nitish Kumar’s silence.
RJD has only two options - back Tejashwi or persuade him to tender a resignation and replace him with someone else, probably Lalu’s elder son Tej Pratap.
Party chief Lalu though has imposed faith in his son. The former railway minister might be thinking of playing the victim if his son is sacked by Nitish.
A leader close to the CM told News18, “Even if Lalu tries to take the moral high ground by asking Tejashwi to resign, things are not going to change. Nitish has made up his minds. Things are only moving in that direction. Resignation can only effectively pause the inevitable for a short while."
Nitish’s growing discomfiture towards his alliance partners can be sensed from the fact that the CM planned his party's meeting on Tuesday. The same day that Congress leadership called an all opposition meeting to pick the Vice-Presidential nominee.
Originally only heads of different cells were to meet Nitish on Monday but, all of sudden the meeting was postponed to Tuesday and the ambit widened by calling all district presidents and MLAs for the meeting.
Party spokesman Sanjay Singh says, "How can he participate in a meeting in Delhi when he has called a meeting of party meeting on the same day?"
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