Bid to marginalise JD-U will fail, says Nitish Kumar

New Delhi: Emphasising his opposition to corruption as well as communalism, Bihar chief minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday asserted that those thinking of marginalising his party in the state would themselves stand marginalised, a comment reflecting the alleged friction among NDA allies ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Soon after the party’s national executive meeting authorised Mr Kumar to take decisions on political issues, including allocation of seats, the JD(U)  chief refrained from shedding light on the party’s future moves and the all-egedly strained ties with the BJP over the sharing of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar among NDA parties, sources said.

Only when the BJP makes a proposal, the JD(U) can decide if it is in the party’s interest, Mr Kumar was quoted as having said by JD(U) secretary general K.C. Tyagi.

The party’s national executive JD(U) also passed a resolution favouring simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections but came out against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, terming it a threat to indigenous languages and culture of Assam.

“This relentless electioneering has adversely impacted developmental activities, overall governance, national economy... In order to contest the elections, political parties are obliged to arrange for funding from every imaginable source, often leading to increased corruption,” said the resolution backing simultaneous polls.

Earlier, Mr Kumar asserted that his party cannot be marginalised in Bihar and those thinking about it will themselves be marginalised. The JD(U) chief said that he had always been against corruption, crime and communalism. The remarks appeared to be aimed at those, including his rivals and some within the BJP, who have claimed that the Bihar chief minister’s political stock has gone down due to his flip-flops on alliances.

Mr Tyagi sought to scotch speculation that the JD(U)  wants to revive its alliance with the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD, calling it “corrupt”. He said his party is in the NDA and will fight the 2019 elections together with its allies.

Following the speech of Mr Kumar, who has often expressed reservation against Hindutva politics of some BJP leaders in Bihar, the JD(U) hit out at Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Jayant Sinha. While Mr Singh met some persons accused of rioting and claimed that the state government was suppressing Hindus, Mr Sinha had garlanded people convicted of lynching a man in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district.

“We do not think what they have done is good. We condemn it,” Mr Tyagi said.

Referring to comments of some Congress leaders who had hinted that they are willing to join hands with Mr Kumar again if he breaks ties with the BJP, Mr Tyagi said a debate over the issue is meaningless till the Congress ends its relationship with a “corrupt party” like the RJD.

“Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s lack of initiative against corruption cases involving the RJD leadership has buried any future for their alliance,” Mr Tyagi said.

He underscored the JD(U)’s importance in Bihar, saying that it is the only state where some surveys have shown that the NDA would be doing very well in the next elections. The 2014 Lok Sabha elections were the worst for his party, but it still bagged 17 per cent of the votes, Mr Tyagi said, pointing to the two seats, out of the 40, won by the party in 2014.