The Bihar BJP state executive passed a resolution to “never align with Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar again”, the party’s state co-in-charge, Vinod Tawde said on Sunday. The two-day meeting of the party concluded yesterday in Darbhanga district.
Rajya Sabha MP and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday also confirmed the resolution and said that there was no question of any pact with the former ally anymore. “It is the decision of the central BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, that the party will never align with Nitish Kumar again,” Sushil Modi said.
Speaking to media, Sushil Modi said that there are speculations that Kumar could return to NDA, which he said was “totally misplaced”, adding that Kumar was a “spent force” now.
“He has betrayed the mandate and also lost his power to convert votes. We welcome the central BJP leadership’s decision to never ever align with Nitish Kumar under any circumstances. This would boost the morale of the party towards forming a BJP government in Bihar in future,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.
Sushil Modi’s remarks come in the backdrop of senior JD(U) leader Upendra Kushwaha’s comments that some JD(U) leaders were in touch with the BJP, although, he didn’t reveal the names.
He also said that the saffron party’s leadership was clear about “Nitish-free” Bihar, adding that it is because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign in the 2020 polls, that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had won 39 seats, including the Nitish-led JD(U) winning 16.
In August last year, Kumar parted ways with the BJP-led NDA for the second time in eight years, and joined hands with the opposition alliance of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and Left parties. With the new alliance, the BJP lost power in the state, and Kumar was sworn-in as the CM again.
Meanwhile, the party’s state unit chief Sanjay Jaiswal also said on Sunday that party workers from across the state have been categorically told that there was no question of a realignment with “unpopular” CM.
“We have sought to stamp out rumours among our party cadre about such a realignment. Of course, the CM has the proclivity to oscillate like a pendulum. But we are not going to be cheated by him again. Nitish Kumar has grown hugely unpopular. It was his unpopularity that had caused his JD(U) to perform badly in assembly polls of 2020, when we did much better,” said the BJP leader.