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This is an archive article published on October 13, 2012
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Opinion Behind BJP noises,posers for Nitish

So why did the Bihar BJP,which appeared satisfied playing second fiddle to ally JD-U,all of a sudden launch an offensive against Nitish Kumar last week?

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh

October 13, 2012 01:00 AM IST First published on: Oct 13, 2012 at 01:00 AM IST

So why did the Bihar BJP,which appeared satisfied playing second fiddle to ally JD-U,all of a sudden launch an offensive against Nitish Kumar last week? After all,it did not react when JD-U humiliated it by cancelling a dinner for its national leaders visiting Patna to attend the party’s national executive meet in 2010. BJP did not react even when Nitish dubbed it a “so-called” national party after its dismal show in the last UP Assembly elections.

BJP state president C P Thakur’s recent statements of the party “preparing to contest all 40 Lok Sabha seats” and planning to “invite Narendra Modi” for the party’s Hunkar rally in April next year were not off-the-cuff. There was no reprimand or any gag order from the BJP central leadership for these statements.

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BJP knows Nitish is facing protests all round,not just from teachers,as was evident during his Adhikar Yatra. Even RJD chief Lalu Prasad,almost pushed to a retired life in state politics,has a new spring in his feet.

Adhikar Yatra,in fact,seems to have helped the BJP and RJD more than the JD-U.

The CM can’t be pleased by the fact that,as per IB inputs,BJP Purnea MP Uday Singh got over one lakh crowd at a recent Purnea rally,double the number that his own meet attracted in the same town. The chief minister’s office has also been told of police morale running at an all-time low with police often being told to videograph mob than use force. Senior officers like DIGs and IGs have little role to play with DMs writing ACR of SPs. Senior IPS officers are also miffed with the CM for asking DMs,rather than SPs,to assess law and order in review meetings.

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The BJP is also aware that JD-U Rajya Sabha member and Nitish confidant R C P Singh has started the initial exercise of choosing JD-U candidates for all the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the name of organising meetings of the party’s minority and Dalit cells in the constituencies — a good enough reason for the junior ally to stand up.

Santosh is a special correspondent based in Patna

santosh.singh@expressindia.com

Santosh Singh
Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar ... Read More