Decode Politics | Behind Nitish’s no to INDIA bloc convenor post: delayed offer, no consensus, wants a more weighty role

1) Despite a clear hint from the Congress, when it didn’t announce Nitish as convenor last week, the JD(U)’s leadership, sources said, was in a spot. Injury got added to this insult when Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, asked about Nitish’s position, was sharp in his response – he asked if this was a “KBC (gameshow) question”. JD (U) chief spokesperson KC Tyagi led the JD(U) charge by asking the Congress to “show some urgency” in taking major decisions. Tyagi’s aggressive posturing reportedly did not go well with Congress, especially JD(U) asking for INDIA yatra, rather than Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. So when the Congress has finally made the offer, JD(U) leaders sense it lacks conviction.

2) Nitish Kumar, sources said, has always pushed for a consensus regarding his role in the coalition. “He had reservations about West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee meeting Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal before the last meeting of the INDIA bloc in Delhi. And when Banerjee proposed the name of Kharge for leading the Opposition, it further upset him.” This is why he asked for a consensus at Saturday’s virtual meeting on the issue of a post for him.

3) Adept at political posturing, Nitish Kumar will continue to keep the Congress guessing. Until now, he has declined to echo the Congress’s line of staying away from Ayodhya temple consecration ceremony and remains non-committal. At the same time, he seems to be waiting for Congress to offer him a more “substantive” role in the coalition. “Nitish expects the Congress to talk to all important allies and then convince him to accept the convenor position with a definite role”, said a JD (U) leader.

4) Finally, JD (U) wants to focus on raising its EBC (Extremely Backward Classes) pitch, which is the main takeaway of the Bihar caste survey, that showed EBCs as the largest social group accounting for 36.1 per cent of the population. To celebrate EBC icon and former CM Karpoori Thakur’s birth centenary on January 24, JD (U) leaders will attend a celebration two days earlier at Karpoori Thakur’s paternal village, Karpoori Gram. The state government is preparing for a mega function on January 24.

Though the government organises this function every year, the centenary celebrations, sources said, could see some important announcements from the CM. Besides, JD (U) has also been holding Karpoori Charcha at regular intervals across the state. Said party spokesperson KC Tyagi: “We are offering our own counter narrative to BJP’s aggressive agenda combining Ayodhya temple opening and labharthi schemes. We will go to the public with the Karpoori symbol and the Nitish model of governance”.