BJP-JD(U) split in Bihar inevitable? Explained how the rift between the allies increased

The tension between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) (JDU) has escalated over the days, putting a question mark on the future of the alliance in Bihar. Now the chief minister has called for a meeting of party MLAs and MPs on Tuesday.

There’s growing speculation that the coalition in Bihar is on the verge of a collapse with the JD(U) likely to announce a split from the BJP. The Kumar-led party is looking to form an alternative government with the Tejashwi Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Left Front, and Congress, reports NDTV.

Also read: RCP Singh snubbed by JD(U): How Nitish Kumar grew distant from his closest aide

Kumar on Sunday skipped the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, citing health reasons. This is the fourth meeting called by the Centre since July that Kumar has not attended.

Clearly, all is not well with the alliance in Bihar. But why is Nitish Kumar miffed with the BJP? And what does this means for the future of the state? We take a look.

Cabinet berths

Nitish Kumar is upset with BJP’s decision of only token representation to allies at the Centre. The Kumar-led JD(U) was offered only one berth in the Modi government in 2019.

On Sunday, JD(U)’s national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh, aka Lalan, said that the party will not be a part of the Union council of ministers again. “We stick to our stand of 2019 when, after the Lok Sabha polls, we had decided not to join the government at the Centre,” Singh said. “The decision not to join the Union government was taken by our leader Nitish Kumar who was then also the party's national president.”

Lalan Singh’s attack came after former Union Minister RCP Singh left the JD(U), angered by what he called “below-the-belt” attack on his family for acquiring plots through allegedly corrupt means. RCP Singh had reportedly dealt directly with the BJP leadership, bypassing Kumar, to become Union Minister.

The JD(U) has now accused the BJP of trying to split the party with the exit of RCP Singh being the last straw.

Bihar | Whenever my party workers or their family members have been in some trouble, I have offered help to them. If you have resentment against me, deal with me: RCP Singh after resigning from JD(U) pic.twitter.com/WJzJb1o6Ir

— ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2022

In a tit-for-tat, the JD(U) has allegedly sidelined the BJP in Bihar. There has been growing discontent among BJP members in the state that their needs are not looked into. Bureaucrats and police officers do not pay heed to their issues and show utter disregard, BJP legislators have been complaining for months.

In the Cabinet expansion in Bihar, Kumar’s JD(U) colleagues got eight berths while one vacant seat was left for the BJP.

The row with Bihar Speaker

Kumar and the Bihar Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha have been at loggerheads. The chief minister wants Sinha, who is from the BJP, to be removed.

The two have had a face-off several times. The situation came to a head in March went Nitish Kumar lost his temper in the Bihar Assembly and accused the Speaker of “openly violating” the Constitution by raising questions against his government.

The incident that triggered the war of words took place at Lakhisarai, the Speaker’s constituency, in February, which involved the arrest of some BJP supporters for allegedly violating COVID-19 restrictions during Saraswati Puja celebrations.

When the Speaker tried to intervene, policemen allegedly misbehaved with him. In the assembly, Sinha had been asking the government to act against the police officers with even the BJP leaders pressing for action against them.

The Bihar chief minister was upset as the BJP was hinting that his government was shielding the policemen.

A clash over policies

Nitish Kumar is opposed to holding state and national elections simultaneously. This idea was pitched by Modi,  which the Opposition has raised objections against. This was one of the issues that the JD(U) and the Opposition saw eye to eye.

“One election, One nation” is theoretically correct but viably impossible option, the JD(U) chief said in 2018.

The violent protests in June over the Agnipath scheme for the armed forces in Bihar put further strain o the alliance. The protesters targeted offices and houses of BJP leaders and the party chief in the state Sanjay Jaiswal hit out at the administration for giving a free hand to rioters. It was speculated that a section of the JD(U) fuelled the protests.

While Kumar remained mum on the issue, senior JD(U) leaders including Upendra Kushwaha and Lalan Singh urged the Centre to have a dialogue with the protesters.

The CM wants a larger say in BJP matters 

According to sources, Nitish Kumar wants to have more control in selecting BJP ministers for his Cabinet. However, the BJP is reluctant because this would undermine Home Minister Amit Shah’s perceived grip on the state by picking ministers who are seen as close to him, reports NDTV.

Staying away from meetings

Nitish Kumar has been skipping meetings called by the Centre and other functions.

Last month, the Bihar CM did not attend the oath-taking ceremony of the National Democratic Alliance’s pick President Droupadi Murmu. Earlier on 17 July, he avoid the meeting of chief ministers called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss issues related to the national flag.

Kumar snubbed the BJP again when he stayed away from a dinner for outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind, hosted by Modi, citing the oath-taking ceremony of seven newly elected members of the legislative council.

The future of the alliance

Now the JD(U) has called a parliamentary meeting of its MPs, MLAs, and MLCs on Tuesday. “There will be a party parliamentary meeting on Tuesday in which all MPs, MLAs and MLCs will participate. This is a regular meeting. Please don’t read too much,” senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi has said.

However, top party sources have told CNN News18 that the alliance with BJP is “at a dead end”, adding that the meeting called by the Bihar CM is crucial.

With inputs from agencies