NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday said he was ready to “forgive and welcome” Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to the opposition INDIA boc.
“Our doors are open (for Nitish). He should also unbolt his gates. This would facilitate movement of people from both sides,” Lalu Yadav said.
Reacting to the RJD chief’s remark, CM Nitish Kumar gave no affirmative response.
“Kya bol rahe hain (What are you saying)” was all the JD(U) boss said in response to queries from journalists about Prasad’s fresh offer, according to news agency PTI.
Meanwhile, former JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh “Lalan” snapped when asked about Lalu Yadav’s remark.
“The NDA is strong. JD(U) and BJP are united. It is a free society and anybody can say whatever he pleases. It is for Lalu ji to say more on his own utterances”, Lalan Singh said.
Nitish Kumar, who ditched the INDIA bloc after spearheading its formation last year, joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
With the switch, though Nitish managed to remain the CM, RJD leader and Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav had to step down as his deputy.
Just hours after he resigned, the Janata Dal (United) chief took oath as the chief minister for a record ninth time.
The number game
Things seemed to fare smoothly for the NDA until the opposition got a shot in the arms after the Lok Sabha poll results.
In the parliamentary election, BJP missed out on the majority numbers as it won only 240 seats, 32 less than the halfway mark.
Whereas, the JDU won 12 seats in the Lok Sabha elections and emerged as a key ally in the NDA, positioning Nitish Kumar as a crucial player in the ruling alliance.
The BJP-led NDA at the Centre majorly hinges on the JDU and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, which won 16 seats for the ruling coalition to cross the majority figure of the 272 seats.
If the table turns in Bihar, the INDIA bloc with 235 seats, would have a direct advantage of an additional 12 seats, an opportunity that the opposition has been eying since June 4 results.
‘Chacha will be voted out’
Unlike this father, Tejaswi Yadav was a little hard-hitting with his remark as he claimed that the new year will mark the “departure” of the CM Nitish-led NDA government in Bihar.
Tejashwi Yadav, who is now leader of the opposition, was talking to reporters shortly after governor designate Arif Mohammad Khan left his house in Patna.
“It is too cold. Keep yourselves warm but do not make any wild guesses. The new year will see a new harvest (nai fasal) and a new government that will be sensitive to the people’s need for health, education and jobs (padhaai, kamaai, dawaai, sunwai aur karvaayi ki sarkaar),” the RJD leader was quoted as saying by PTI.
He added: “In the new year, my uncle (chacha) Nitish Kumar will be voted out. He has been in power for 20 years. Soil gets ruined if the same crop is sown for so long. So, it is time for the departure of Nitish ji and the NDA.”
