In less than a year after they tied up to form a new government in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Janata Dal-United, are locked in a heated exchange that shows no sign of a let-up despite the intervention of chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD national president Lalu Prasad.
The state’s education minister, RJD leader Chandrashekhar, hasn’t been attending his office ever since his own department issued a communication three days ago, forbidding his personal secretary (PS) from entering its premises.
The PS, Kishnanand Yadav, had shot off a strongly-worded letter to department’s additional chief secretary K K Pathak, who is said to enjoy the chief minister’s trust, effectively issuing a gag order for department officials, citing alleged information leaks to the media.
On Friday, RJD’s Sunil Kumar Singh, who is an MLC (member of legislative council), lashed out at chief minister Nitish Kumar, alleging that he was using bureaucrats to tame his party’s leaders. “When Nitish wants to control ministers from other parties, he deputes officers like KK Pathak,” said the MLC, who is considered close to Lalu Prasad.
Singh, who is also the chairman of the BISCOMAUN, a multistate cooperative federation, also recalled how the CM had once used another IAS officer, C K Anil, to settle scores with him while he was working as the BISCOMAUN chairman during the NDA regime in Bihar.
Minister Ashok Choudhary, who is from CM Kumar’s JD-U, almost immediately responded in kind. “We do not take a serious note of what Sunil Singh speaks. He is not the ultimate leader in RJD. Why should we react to his remarks? What Lalu Prasad speaks (on such issues), what Rabri Devi speaks, are more important,” Choudhary shot back, when approached by reporters for a response.
Unfazed, Sunil Kumar Singh once again hit out at the chief minister on Saturday, saying he was losing control. “The way things are moving, it seems that situation is not under the control of the chief minister. Development has not taken place in the manner it should have taken place. On the ground, nothing seems good,” Singh told reporters.
For the record, the JD-U rubbished suggestions of a crack in the alliance, which would be completing a year in government in second week of August.
Addressing a press conference here, JDU’s state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha said, “These are all rumours fuelled by the BJP, which is in desperation after the momentum gained in the Opposition unity drive initiated by our leader.”
He also mocked claims by BJP leaders and others that a number of JD-U legislators and parliamentarians were “in touch” with them and were willing to jump ship.
JD-U chief spokespersons and MLC Neeraj Kumar, who spoke to media persons separately, echoed similar views but expressed concern over the sulking education minister not going to his office.
However, JD-U privately admitted that tension has crept into the alliance after the CBI filed a charge sheet against deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav in land for jobs case and particularly over the manner in which RJD’s Sunil Singh was targeting the CM. “Everybody knows his closeness with Lalu’s family… there must be some backing to his utterances,” said a senior JD-U leader who didn’t wish to be named.
RJD spokespersons weren’t immediately available for their response.
In Bihar, the ruling alliance comprises RJD, JD-U and Congress as constituents while Left parties support the government from outside.
