Ready to embrace JD(U) if Nitish Kumar breaks ranks with BJP: RJD

Amid a brewing political storm in Bihar the opposition RJD on Monday said it was ready to embrace Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his JDU if he broke ranks with the BJPRJD national vicepresident Shivanand Tiwary said that convening meetings of legislators by both parties on Tuesday were a clear indication that the situation was extraordinaryPersonally I am not aware of the goings on But we cannot ignore the fact that both parties which together had sufficient numbers to muster a majority have convened such meetings when an assembly session is not round the corner Tiwary told reportersIf Nitish chooses to dump NDA what choice do we have except to embrace him gale lagaenge RJD is committed to fighting the BJP If the chief minister decides to join this fight we will have to take him along said TiwaryHe was also asked whether the RJD would be willing to forget bitter episodes of the past like Kumars return to the NDA in 2017 citing allegations of corruption against Lalu Prasad and his family members including younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav who was then his deputyIn politics we cannot remain prisoners of the past We socialists had started off opposing the Congress which was then in power But even the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi was imposed invoking the Constitution The BJP which has now become a behemoth seems out to destroy the Constitution We have to respond to the challenges of the times Tiwary saidSpeculations of yet another political volte face by Kumar have been fuelled by his skipping the farewell of former President Ram Nath Kovind and the swearing in of Droupadi Murmu and more recently the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on SundayJDU has sought to make light of Kumars absence at the functions citing its support to NDA in elections for President and VicePresident and also pointing towards the fact that the chief minister had then tested positive for COVID19PostCOVID debility is also said to have been cited by Kumar while expressing his inability to attend the NITI Aayog meeting However on the very same day he was seen at more than one events even sharing the dais at one of these with cabinet colleagues belonging to the BJPOn Monday he held his weekly public interaction programme again having recuperated from the dreaded virusAmong those present at the Janta Ke Durbaar Mein Mukhyamantri programme were deputy CM Tarkishor Prasad who is also the BJPs leader in the houseFormer chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi whose Hindustani Awam Morcha HAM is an NDA ally however claimed there was no crisis in the ruling coalitionIn JDU it is Nitish Kumar who calls the shots He has not said anything so far I do not know what he is exactly thinking but had he planned any major move he would have given me a hint I will however try to talk to him Manjhi whose son is a minister and who had once agreed to merge his party with JDU saidMeanwhile AICC national secretary and MLA Shakil Ahmed Khan said whatever was happening in Bihar was shubh sanket a good sign as the BJP which has a history of creating trouble for its allies is getting a taste of its own medicineHe however declined to comment on reports in a section of the media that Kumar spoke to senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over phone Sunday nightMeanwhile state BJP leaders were maintaining a studied silence apparently upon advice of the top leadership to rein in their loquacity which could rock the boatUnion Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda along with other national office bearers had visited the city a fortnight agoThe top brass appeared to have sensed the straws in the wind at that time as evident from a press statement then reaffirming faith in the leadership of Nitish Kumar which has however failed to impress the JDUThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever