Bihar CM Nitish Kumar skips NITI Aayog meeting chaired by PM Modi, again sparks off speculations that “all is not well” between BJP and JD-U

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 7

With Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Sunday skipping an important NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the relationship between the BJP and the Janata Dal-United is again under the scanner.

Notably, a day after the resignation of former union minister RCP Singh from the JD-U, the BJP’s Bihar ally also made it clear that it will not be joining the central council of ministers where it has no representation as of now.

Amid speculations of growing closeness between the JD-U and Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal yet again and the buzz about some “major political change in Bihar soon”, the JD-U supremo today skipped the Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog, the second time in a row from a major government event.

A few days back, he also skipped a dinner hosted by PM Modi for outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind.

The JD-U is a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Though officially the reason being given is that Nitish Kumar was recovering from a recent Covid infection, speaking to the media in Patna JD-U president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh slammed RCP Singh and said his party continues to hold the stand of 2019 when after the Lok Sabha polls it decided to not join the government at the centre.

“What is the need for JD-U to join the Central cabinet? In 2019 itself, after arriving at a consensus, chief minister Nitish Kumar had made it clear that we will not join the central government and we stand quite firmly with it,” he was quoted as saying.

Slamming RCP, who on Sunday called JD-U a “sinking ship”, Lalan Singh said “it was a sailing ship which some people are trying to damage. Nitish Kumar identified them, and took steps”.

A day after he was issued a show-cause notice by JD-U over allegations of corruption, RCP yesterday resigned from the party, slamming his “political mentor” Nitish Kumar.

The JD-U had on Saturday issued the notice to Singh, the former Steel Minister in the Modi Cabinet, over “discrepancies in immovable properties”.

Though Lalan Singh also asserted that “all is well” between the JD-U and the BJP, sources say Nitish Kumar’s meetings with RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav indicated he was unhappy with the BJP.

The sources also said that Nitish Kumar was also peeved over the BJP’s ‘pravas programme’ in around 200 Assembly constituencies, an indication that it was planning to contest all 243 assembly seats in Bihar.

Though the BJP leadership has already made its stance clear on the partnership, the real trouble began when RCP joined the central government without his consent.

The sources said by launching the show-cause against his own party member, Nitish Kumar was proving a point on the raging issue of ED raids against opposition leaders and “daring the BJP to also probe RCP”.

The show-case notice also hailed Nitish Kumar for having “zero tolerance policy for corruption”.

This apart, Nitish Kumar had also questioned parameters on which Niti Aayog evaluated states, placing Bihar at the bottom of the development index in the country.

Though dismissing “speculations”, saffron leaders say they have very good understanding with their only surviving oldest ally.