New Delhi, November 2
The BJP has got into a logjam of politics between politicians from Bihar on the question of attack and murder of north Indians from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Maharashtra by Raj Thackeray’s MNS with Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena approving the action.
The JD(U) had declared on October 31 that its MPs would resign if its demand for the arrest of Raj Thackeray was not heeded. This had put the RJD and the LJP, led by UPA partners Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan, in a spot with fears of the JD(U) scoring a brownie point against its two political rivals.
Reacting to that, Lalu Prasad has thrown the gauntlet at the JD(U) and the BJP offering that all his MPs and even MLAs and MLCs in the Bihar Assembly would resign if all other parties would together decide on the issue. Speaking to a TV news channel, Lalu Prasad said he would also speak to Paswan about this and hoped to secure his support
too.
Lalu said: “Our MPs are ready to resign from the government if Raj is not arrested”. But he dared Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to severe ties with the NDA of which the Shiv Sena is a prominent member. He said: “Both Raj and Bal Thackeray are the two sides of the same coin. Why is he in alliance with the Shiv Sena? Nitish should demand ouster of Shiv Sena from the
NDA.”
But the move has got the BJP into a tizzy. The BJP has the Shiv Sena as its ally and cannot publicly criticise the Shiv Sena or be seen to be opposing the “Marathi manoos” politics whipped up by Raj and Bal
Thackeray.
In Maharashtra, the BJP depends on the Shiv Sena for its political survival. Therefore, it scrupulously avoids any mention of the Sena. Instead it has held the ruling Congress-NCP combine responsible for the violence by calling Raj Thackeray and his MNS as their creation.
But if the resignation fever picks up in Bihar, the BJP can just not stay out of it since it is sharing a government with the JD(U) there.
Therefore, the moment Lalu Prasad announced his intent to secure the resignations of all his MPs, MLAs and MLCs, the BJP reacted sharply to it.
BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy, a Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar, said: “There is no move in our party to resign. Absolutely not. This is sheer political rhetoric.”
Instead he advised Lalu to resign from the railway ministry and seek P M’s resignation also if he is so concerned about the plight of north Indians in Maharashtra.
