With Murmu's Oath-taking, Nitish Kumar Has Snubbed BJP Invite Thrice in 10 Days. Is All Well Between Allies?

Nitish Kumar is not pleased. And the Bihar chief minister, who has been seething over being snubbed by ally BJP, made his resentment clear once again by skipping the oath-taking ceremony of NDA pick President Droupadi Murmu on Monday — the third invite by BJP in 10 days that Kumar has steered clear of.

On July 17, Kumar gave a miss to a meeting of chief ministers called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss issues related to the national flag and deputed BJP’s Tarkishor Prasad instead. He snubbed the BJP again when he skipped a dinner for outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind, hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing the oath-taking ceremony of seven newly elected members of the legislative council.

While the genesis of the rift between the allies can be traced to several events when the BJP and the JDU have crossed swords, the latest flashpoint seems to be the BJP’s omission of an invite to Kumar for PM Modi’s address at the Bihar Legislative Assembly’s centenary celebrations. This was the first time a prime minister was addressing the assembly, that too on the insistence of Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha, who has been at odds with Kumar since taking over.

Not only was the chief minister’s photo missing from the souvenir for the occasion but his name also found no mention from Sinha at the concluding ceremony.

It was after Amit Shah decided to retain Kumar as the chief minister despite the BJP’s better performance in the assembly elections that the BJP and JDU war of words became more frequent.

Last time the two parties faced off was over the Agnipath scheme, when ally BJP made it clear that it was not satisfied with the chief minister’s handling of the massive protests across the state over the short service recruitment scheme in the armed forces.

The Janata Dal United was also miffed with former Union Minister RCP Singh’s comment that he became a minister in the Union Cabinet with the blessings of the prime minister. “It is because of the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that I have served as a Union Minister in the last one year,” RCP Singh said on returning to Patna after tendering his resignation. His Rajya Sabha tenure expired on July 7.

Soon, JDU spokesperson Arvind Nishad reminded Singh how he was sent to Rajya Sabha twice, in 2010 and 2016, how he became secretary of the party and later went on to become the party’s national president, all with the blessings of Nitish Kumar.

The controversial comments by Patna SSP Manavendra Singh Dhillon — where he drew parallels between the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) also exposed the chinks in the NDA armour. As BJP leaders criticised Dhillon for saying that PFI members arrested from Phulwari Sharif underwent “physical training sessions similar to what happens in the RSS ‘shakhas’ (classes)”, the JD(U) leaders seemed to be siding with him.

JD(U)’s Upendra Kushwaha said the issue was “not political”, adding: “If Patna SSP would have committed any wrong, his department’s authorities who, as per the service code, have responsibility to look into such matters, would look into the issue. It is not a political issue.”

About three weeks ago, MLAs and ministers of the JD(U) skipped a post-lunch session in which ally BJP had proposed to discuss who was the “best legislator”. Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress, and the Left parties also boycotted the House proceedings after the first half as the Speaker did not allow a debate on the Agnipath scheme, saying it did not come under the state’s purview.

While rumour mills have been abuzz with rift between the allies for a long time, senior leaders have tried to douse the fire from time to time.

On Monday, JD(U)’s Kushwaha sought to play down the controversy over Kumar’s absence at Murmu’s swearing-in. “It’s not necessary that everyone takes part in every programme. Now, the presidential election is over and oath-taking is just a formality. If the chief minister or anyone is not going, it’s not a matter that should be given much importance. He had lot of other work so maybe that’s why he didn’t go,” he said.

The prime minister, too, played his role to sort out differences between the allies. As PM Modi and Kumar shared the stage at the assembly centenary event last week, the former told the audience that the country would progress if Bihar did. He also lauded Kumar for ensuring 50 per cent reservation for women in panchayats.

Only time will tell if these efforts help in keeping the allies together in the long run.

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