Bihar: BJP Attacks Nitish Kumar for his Opposition Unity Move

Patna: Amid Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday meeting two regional party chiefs on his mission opposition unity to take on the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, saffron party leaders have launched a direct attack against him in the state.

Several BJP leaders have been targeting Kumar for his move to unite the opposition to challenge Narendra Modi.

Sensing this as a political move, BJP leaders, including Union ministers, former ministers, party MPs, and MLAs, have been attacking Kumar on several issues. It appears that the state BJP leaders were asked to expose and target Kumar without a miss.

Ironically, in recent days, BJP leaders have been targeting Kumar, their ally, till August 9, 2022, and have been blaming him for everything, including poor governance and law and order in the state, joblessness, and backwardness. It appears that BJP leaders have forgotten that they were part of the Kumar-led government in Bihar from 2005 to August 2022, except between 2015 to July 2017.

Kumar, who is a defacto chief of JD-U (Janata Dal-United) along with RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) leader and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, who is also chief of TMC (Trinamool Congress), on Monday in Kolkata. 

Kumar is set to visit Lucknow to meet Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav later today in connection with opposition unity. 

Reacting to this development, BJP state (Bihar) president Samrat Choudhary has described Kumar as a bichauliya (middleman).

"Kumar has been working as bichauliya by meeting different leaders, including current and former CMs, for something impossible. It is unclear who is the groom of the marriage party, but Kumar is playing a role of a middleman. In 2024, there is no vacancy, and Prime Minister Modi will return to power," Choudhary told media here.

Two days ago, Choudhary said that Kumar and his party, JD-U, would be reduced to dust for betrayal in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Union Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey, a senior BJP leader, has termed Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav as firangi (foreigner) and claimed that BJP will push them into neighbouring country Bangladesh during the 2024 elections and will force them to cross Nepal border in 2025 Bihar Assembly polls to form the first BJP-led government in Bihar.

BJP MP from the Aurangabad parliamentary seat in Bihar, Sushil Kumar Singh, said Kumar is an accidental CM, but he will never become an accidental PM because there is no scope for it.

Another BJP MP, Sanjay Jaiswal, said Kumar has been daydreaming.

"Neither opposition unity is possible, nor any leader can challenge Modi in next General elections".

Kumar, in recent days, reiterated the need for solid and united opposition to defeat the BJP and oust the Modi-led Central government. 

"I am making efforts to unite the opposition, and it is showing results as talks are advancing. I will meet more leaders in the coming days for a larger opposition front ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls," Kumar said on Sunday.

Early this month, Kumar and Tejaahwi Yadav met Congress president Mallikarjun Khagre, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in connection with opposition unity.

Since last September, after Kumar dumped BJP, joined with Mahagathbandhan and formed the government, he has repeatedly urged all opposition parties to fight together in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP, which is yet to overcome the big blow served by Kumar last year, none other than Union home minister Amit Shah had visited Bihar four to five times as a part of the party’s ‘Mission 2024’ campaign for the next Lok Sabha polls. Shah claimed to win all 40 seats of the state.

The BJP's top leadership, including Modi and Shah, are reportedly worried about facing the next elections alone in Bihar because the party has been left with only one ally in Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) of Union Minister Pasupati Kumar Paras, which has no MLA in the state Assembly and is considered a spent force.

Ruling JD-U and RJD leaders downplayed Shah’s visit, saying it would no longer have any impact due to people's growing anger against the BJP’s anti-people policies. Ruling Mahagathbandhan is confident of its large social support base and past record that BJP was defeated when it contested without Kumar's JD-U.