Patna, April 11 RJD national working president Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday claimed that JD(U) president Nitish Kumar was stepping down from the post of Bihar Chief Minister under "pressure" from his own party colleagues who had been "influenced or coaxed" by the BJP.
Yadav, a former Deputy CM who is now the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, made the remark a day after Kumar was sworn in as a Rajya Sabha MP and on the day when Kumar's belongings were being moved from the Chief Minister's residence to a government bungalow on an adjacent street.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an RJD function, Yadav said, "I wager that the deal for removing Nitish Kumar had been struck by some prominent figures in the JD(U) long ago. It was not made public because it would have backfired during the assembly elections."
He alleged, "It is absurd to say that Nitish Kumar, who does not have good physical and mental health, was stepping down out of his own wish. Just recall the visuals from Delhi. The way he was stopped by (JD(U) working president) Sanjay Jha from interacting with the media in the national capital is proof of how much pressure and intimidation he is facing."
Yadav alleged that the JD(U) leaders who are behind this conspiracy have either been influenced by the BJP, or are living in fear of the ED and the CBI, which have become tools of the ruling party at the Centre.
Jha, a Rajya Sabha MP, had started with the BJP but joined the JD(U) in 2012, after reportedly being denied a ticket by the saffron party in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
Although no JD(U) leader came on record to react to Tejashwi Yadav's allegations, party sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, admitted that there were concerns among the party members about the role played by Jha and some other close aides of Kumar in the recent developments.
They said, "Yesterday, when the Chief Minister visited the JD(U) office in Delhi, many party workers insisted that even after he stepped down, the top post should not be given to the BJP. The visuals have been broadcast by all media outlets, and they reflect the sentiment among the party here."
They added, "In Nishant (Nitish Kumar's son who recently joined the party), we have a young leader capable enough to take over from his father. However, we are also aware that our leader is unlikely to push for his son. But, at least, we must insist on all the benefits that the BJP is currently enjoying, which include posts like two Deputy CMs, the Speaker of the assembly, and the crucial Home portfolio."
"The BJP, on its part, has been acting with arrogance. Just look at the speed with which they nominated Harivansh Narayan Singh to the Rajya Sabha, just days after we denied him a third consecutive term," said the JD(U) sources.
BJP leaders in the state remained tight-lipped about what was transpiring in the NDA, especially in the light of the abrupt cancellation of a meeting that was scheduled in Delhi on Friday at the residence of the party's Bihar in charge Vinod Tawde.
In a brief interaction with journalists here, state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said, "All matters will be resolved amicably among the NDA partners in due course."
Former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, an NDA partner who heads the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, made a cryptic remark, "While the new Chief Minister will be decided through consensus by all allies, it is clear that the government in Bihar shall continue to work on the Nitish model of governance."
Bollywood actor turned politician Shatrughan Sinha, who was earlier with the BJP but was now with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, made the tongue-in-cheek remark, "The people of Bihar must be wary of a leader who may arrive with a list of names."
The allusion was to rumours that in many BJP-ruled states, the chief ministers have not been elected by the MLAs but handpicked by the top leadership in Delhi, from where emissaries were sent with the names scribbled on a piece of paper.
Meanwhile, all eyes were on 1, Anney Marg, where Kumar kept receiving leaders from his own party as well as allies. Those who called on him included Jha and Parliamentary Affairs minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, besides Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha.
Another BJP leader who turned up at the chief minister’s residence was Lakhendra Paswan, and his visit fuelled speculations in a section of the media that the party may be pushing for the Dalit leader.
However, BJP sources, who did not wish to be identified, claimed that Paswan had met the CM to invite him to a function.