A day before the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and JDU (Janata Dal United) were to announce the sharing of seats for the coming Assembly election, LJP (Lok Janshakti Party) leader Chirag Paswan on Monday called the leader of opposition and Rashtriya Janata Dal’s chief ministerial candidate, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, as his Chota Bhai (Younger Brother). He did not stop there, but went on to wish him success.
Chirag, whose party will be contesting on 143 seats, said that more the alternative the better it would be for the state. Chirag’s latest statement has prompted the Janata Dal United to demand the expulsion of the LJP from the National Democratic Alliance.
The statement of Bihar BJP chief, Sanjay Jaiswal, on Tuesday made it amply clear that his party is going to contest the election under the leadership of chief minister Nitish Kumar. Thus, he rejected all the charges levelled by the LJP leader against Nitish. On the other hand the BJP has reportedly objected to LJP using the photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the party’s posters. Apart from Modi, the posters carried the photos of LJP’s founder leader and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan and his son Chirag Paswan.
Many BJP and JDU leaders are upset over the way the party’s central leadership is finding itself in a tight spot while dealing with the LJP. The central leadership of the party is unable to come out openly against Chirag, who is using the slogan “BJP se bair nahin, Nitish teri khair nahin”(No problem with BJP, but beware Nitish). Chirag’s googly has created fissures between the BJP and Janata Dal United.
Though he may be doing all this on his own for the political benefit of his party, many in the Nitish Kumar camp are in private accusing a strong section of the saffron party leaders of encouraging Chirag. Union ministers like Giriraj Singh and Ashwini Choubey had repeatedly criticised Nitish in the past.
Analysts are of the view that since Giriraj and Ashwani are already Union ministers and living in comfort zone, they are free to criticise Nitish. But those saffron party leaders who have much at stake in Bihar cannot afford to be critical of Nitish. So the BJP is a divided house in Bihar.
