Patna: A month after Nitish Kumar formed a government in Bihar with the support of the BJP, the JD(U) passed a resolution to join the NDA during the party’s national executive meeting.
The decision also paves way for the JD(U) to become a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet.
“BJP president Amit Shah had asked us to join NDA. We have passed the resolution and from today onwards we are part of it,” its principal general secretary K.C. Tyagi told reporters after the meeting on Saturday.
Mr Kumar had snapped ties with the saffron party in 2013, walking out of the NDA on grounds that Narendra Modi was declared as Prime Ministerial candidate by the BJP.
But after being badly bruised in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, he sank all his political differences and joined hands with his arch-rival Lalu Yadav and returned as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the third consecutive term by defeating the BJP in 2015 Assembly elections.
However, his decision to break the 20-month-old alliance with the RJD and the Congress has resulted in splitting his party JD(U). Senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav was the first to revolt against the decision followed by another senior party leader Ali Anwar.
Reacting to the development Mr Yadav, who had called a separate meeting of rebel leaders in Patna, said, “I have nothing against any individual but it’s the people of the state who are feeling betrayed.”
After the meeting, Mr Kumar, who is also the party chief, targeted Mr Yadav and questioned why he hadn’t stopped the party from splitting in 2013.
“He was the party president of the JD(U) when we decided to split from the NDA in 2013. Why he didn’t stop us then,” Mr Nitish Kumar said while addressing party leaders in Patna.
Continuing his attack on his rivals, Mr Kumar said that “those who say that the JD(U) has no mass base are misinformed, any party JD(U) sides with wins during elections”.
Though the meeting ended without any action against Mr Yadav, Mr Tyagi gave hints that decision against him can be taken after the RJD’s August 27 rally.
“He will cross the Laxman Rekha if he attends RJD’s rally on August 27. So far the party has not taken any action against him because of his seniority and long association with the JD(U),” he added.
Mr Tyagi also categorically denied that there was any split within the JD(U) following differences with senior leader Sharad Yadav.
He said “talks of division in the party are not true” as 16 of 19 state committees are still with us “only our Kerala unit stayed away from the meeting”.
