Ties under strain after Nitish play, Tejashwi cancels Australia tour

The new signs of an apparent discord between the two key Mahagathbandhan partners in Bihar are now being seen. Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has cancelled his official Australia tour, which was to begin from January 6. Tejashwi had planned the trip a day after his scheduled appearance before the Enforcement Directorate in the IRCTC case.

A key RJD leader said the party “did not want to take any chances by sending its key leader out of the country at a time with the uncertainty in state politics ”.

He added: “Tejashwi had not shared dais with the CM on four occasions in December. This is a sign of our strained ties. The CM would often embarrass his deputy with direct and indirect reference to ‘misrule’ (during the RJD’s tenure) in Bihar before he took over.”

Another RJD source said Singh’s removal as the JD(U) chief “has created distrust between JD(U) and RJD irrespective of leaders not admitting it publicly”.

An RJD leader said that January would be a “crucial” month for the two parties. “We want the Cabinet expansion (Four ministries are yet to be filled) to take place soon. After that, we will get reassurance that the Mahagathbandhan is intact and that we can still go to Lok Sabha polls with the right and positive frame of mind,” he said.

He said that despite the differences between the two parties, Nitish would be “held back” to remain with the alliance because of the numbers in the Assembly.

“The RJD, Congress and Left parties together have 114 MLAs, just eight short of simple majority. He (Nitish) would not take chances with the NDA again as he may end up losing the CM chair in the process. Nitish is important and relevant only till he is CM and continues to remain CM,” the leader said.

In the 2020 Assembly polls, the JD(U) got just half the number of seats bagged by the RJD or the BJP. The JD(U) only got 43 seats, while the BJP won 74 and the RJD 75 seats. Nitish was then contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP – and remained with the latter until he joined hands with the RJD and the Congress in August 2022.

The JD (U) leaders have not spoken about any “differences” with their alliance partner even as they are vocal about Lalan Singh’s removal. Singh has, however, dismissed the buzz about rift with Nitish. He said it was “an attempt to tarnish his political career spanning over 37 years”.

JD (U) spokesperson KC Tyagi, speaking after Nitish took over as party president, said: “Nitish Kumar is back in the saddle as party chief so that he could work towards a stronger INDIA bloc. No one should listen to rumours and rather focus on Mission 2024”.