The friction within Bihar’s ruling alliance appeared to be growing on Sunday with senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh backing controversial party colleague Mohammed Shahabuddin and saying “Lalu Prasad (Yadav) is our leader and there cannot be a debate on this”. On Saturday, shortly after his release from jail on bail, Mr Shahabuddin said Mr Kumar was a “CM of circumstances”, and pledged his loyalty to Mr Lalu Yadav.
Saying Mr Kumar was “not his choice as CM”, Mr Singh said Sunday: “There are different parties in the alliance and Lalu Prasad is our leader. The leaders of the alliance partners decided to make Nitish Kumar the chief minister... I disfavoured it, but the leaders had already taken a decision.”
This was not the first time Mr Singh has spoken out against Mr Kumar, but its timing was such that it made both the JD(U) and Congress uncomfortable.
While Mr Lalu Yadav remained silent, chief minister Nitish Kumar reacted sharply to Mr Shahabuddin’s remarks, saying: “The people of Bihar know who they gave the mandate to... it was given to me not to react to a statement that has no meaning”.
Sources said that with such statements emerging from the Lalu camp, fissures in the Grand Secular Alliance had become clearer, and more RJD leaders were likely to issue anti-Nitish Kumar statements. The sources added that Mr Shahabuddin’s release from jail was part of a calculated strategy by the RJD, which was likely to contest the next Assembly elections on its own.
Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi took a swipe at Nitish Kumar Sunday, asking: “How will he become a prime ministerial candidate in 2019 when people like Shahabuddin are questioning his leadership ” Mr Modi had opposed Mr Shahabuddin’s release from jail on Saturday.
