With political circles abuzz over the speculations of Nitish Kumar’s return to the NDA fold, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader and Jamui MP Chirag Paswan said he has never seen the Bihar Chief Minister “so nervous”, but warned that it was for the BJP to decide if it was willing to “give up three to four potential allies to get Nitish back”.

“… the BJP has closed the doors on him forever. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said it several times. If it still happens, it has to be seen if those who left Nitish, including me, can again side with him. The BJP will have to decide if it wants to give up three to four potential allies to get Nitish back,” Paswan said speaking to The Indian Express.

Paswan added that Nitish has been pushing hard to remain relevant and is nursing his prime ministerial ambitions, primarily “driven by his jealousy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.

“Nitish Kumar wants to be at the centre of national politics based on his jealousy alone. He perhaps believes that if a three-time Gujarat CM can become PM, why can’t he, especially when he comes from the Hindi heartland and has been the Bihar CM for over 17 years now? But all this is wishful thinking,” he said.

Paswan’s remarks come amid speculation that Nitish may be considering a return to the NDA fold. Over the past few days, Nitish has held individual meetings with several of his MLAs, a move seen by many as stemming out of the fear of an NCP-like rebellion against him.

The CBI naming Deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as an accused in the cash-for-jobs scam only added fuel to the rumours. It was under similar charges that Nitish had decided to part ways with the RJD the last time around.

“Political parties weaken because of their inherent contradictions. So many people are also saying that the BJP is trying to split the Janata Dal (United). But, in reality, one knows that Nitish Kumar’s party became the number three party in the 2020 polls. I have not seen a more nervous Nitish Kumar and he had to hold one-on-one meetings with his MPs and MLAs amid the Maharashtra development,” Paswan said.