Modi, Advani, principles: Why Nitish is parting ways with BJP Finally it won’t be LK Advani who will be the first casualty of Narendra Modi‘s ascension to the post of party campaign chief, but instead it’s set to be the NDA, with one of its most valued partners, the JD(U) walking away. The result will be that the BJP will lose power in Bihar, soon after losing power in Karnataka. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar could announce the decision to sever ties as early as 16 June or soon after. Kumar is to return to Patna after his Sewa Yatra on the night of 15 June and has summoned all MLAs for a final round of consultation. Except for one MLA, the other 117 have already given their consent to break off ties with the BJP, sources said. “The decision to part ways with the BJP has already been taken. Its only a matter of days when it will be formally announced. We certainly can’t be fooled by the BJP when they say that Modi is only campaign committee chairman for the 2014 parliamentary elections,” a senior JD(U) leader told Firstpost on condition of anonymity. “The fact remains that its clearly an indirect projection. Advaniji’s resignation and what happened afterwards has made this realization even more acute for us. We all respect him both as a leader and as founding father of the NDA,” the leader said. Nitish is set to go it alone in Bihar. PTI Nitish is set to go it alone in Bihar. PTI There was no point in the party in continuing with the NDA under these conditions, he said. “Our decision is consistent with our stated policy that we can’t be in the business with the BJP if Narendra Modi were to become its leader. At the moment our concern is not whether the state government survives, but to stick to our principles. It’s a different matter though that the Nitish Kumar government, even minus the BJP, will survive. There are many who would support us on a matter of principle,” the leader said. Once the announcement is made, the opposition coalition will shrink further in Parliament. The JD(U) has 20 MPs in Lok Sabha. The second drawback for the BJP is that it is out of power in one more state, in the case of Bihar, a state where it has been in power for the last eight years. BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi is Deputy Chief Minister in the state. Since 2012 the BJP has lost power in Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Karnataka. The only state where the BJP has come to power is Goa. Yesterday, while BJP leaders were busy in Delhi sorting out the internal crisis generated by Advani’s resignation, Kumar was holding informal meetings with his trusted party colleagues on whether to stay in the NDA and by when they should part ways with the BJP. “Our view was unanimous that it’s time that we should say goodbye to the BJP. They have declared Modi as their leader despite our objections. We are now free to take a call,” a party leader, who attended the meeting, said. JD(U) leader Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh perhaps dropped the clearest hint of the impending decision by calling Modi a ‘rioter’. After the meeting Kumar went back to continue with his Sewa Yatra. The mood in the JD(U) is surprisingly buoyant, perhaps because there is no threat to the state government. It also allows them to make the next parliamentary elections about secularism and communalism. The JD(U) hopes to hold on to the 17 percent Mulism votes, despite it being likely to lose the 13 percent votes that come from upper castes and a substantive portion of OBC votes. The party believes the Maharajganj by poll result was an aberration and it’s the BJP has that should rather ponder over it, instead of being secretly happy about it. The JD(U) has 118 MLAs in 243-member Bihar assembly and needs the support of only four more MLAs to reach the majority figure of 122. There are six independent MLAs in the house at present, the BJP has 91, RJD has 22 and LJP and CPI have one each. The JD(U) needs just four MLAs, and is in talks with independent MLAs. It also expects the CPI to take its side when a vote of confidence takes place. The Bihar unit of the BJP, however, did not expect the split to take place this quickly and are presently in a huddle participating in a series of meetings in Patna. The central party leadership has been kept informed of the developments. The BJP, is hoping to capitalise on Modi’s charisma and OBC status in next parliamentary election. A section of them rue losing power in the state, but will not admit to it presently. The party is for now consoling itself with the belief that the recent Maharajganj by poll verdict is a clear indicator that Modi is a factor that matters in the state.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:06:05 +0000
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