While Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) on Sunday rebuffed speculation of a rift with ally BJP asserting “all is well”, the political pot remained abuzz with news that the coalition government in Bihar is on the verge of a collapse.
The political grapevine was abuzz with several theories after Kumar skipped the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Sunday. Sources said Nitish, who recently recovered from Covid-19, was advised rest and, therefore, wanted to send his deputy Tarkishore Prasad (Deputy CM from BJP) for the meeting but was told that the think-tank meeting was strictly meant for chief ministers.
There are also rumours that the JD(U) will announce a split from the BJP, and form an alternative government in tandem with the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Left Front and the Congress. The party has also called a parliamentary meeting of all its MPs, MLAs and MLCs on Tuesday.
Here are the reasons why the JD(U) and Nitish Kumar appear to be upset with the BJP:
Speaker:
Nitish Kumar and Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha were in the centre of a spat in March, when the two had a heated exchange over whether a matter being probed by the government and also referred to the privilege committee could be raised on the floor of the House “again and again”. It was reported by NDTV that Kumar wanted Sinha, a BJP leader, removed from the post.
Council of Ministers:
The most recent point of friction between the two parties was on Sunday, when JD(U) reiterated its stand that it would not be joining the Union Council of Ministers. “We had decided in 2019, after the Lok Sabha polls, not to join the government at the Centre. We stick to that stand even now,” JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan told a press conference.
Elections:
Nitish Kumar had in the past exhibited hesitation at accepting PM Narendra Modi's calls for "one nation one election," saying before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections that though it is a good idea, "it is not implementable."
State Cabinet:
Nitish Kumar also wants to have a larger say in appointing BJP ministers in the state Cabinet, NDTV reported, citing sources. The sources said that this would undermine Amit Shah's hold on the state through the selection of ministers close to him.
(With PTI inputs)