Grand Alliance to Have Coordination Committee to Ensure it Does Not Meet NDA's Fate

A coordination committee, which the JD(U) kept pressing for while in the BJP-led NDA, may be set up to ensure smooth functioning of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) that now rules Bihar upon the entry of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. There were indications to this effect on Friday evening when MLAs of the CPI(ML), the fourth largest constituent of the Grand Alliance, called on the Chief Minister, the JD(U)’s de facto leader, at his residence.

The chief minister was strongly in favour of a coordination committee and we felt the same. No ally is likely to have any objection. It may, therefore, come up in due course, CPI(ML) MLA Sandeep Saurav told PTI. The Grand Alliance at present comprises seven parties JD(U), RJD, Congress, CPI(ML), CPI, CPI(M) and HAM which together have more than 160 MLAs in the 243-strong assembly.

Notably, while the JD(U) and the BJP were still in an acrimonious tie-up, many leaders of the former had stressed the need for a coordination committee which was in place during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s time with George Fernandes as its convenor. JD(U) leaders were of the view that the absence of such a committee left different constituents with no platform to voice their divergent opinions before each other and hence they ended up doing so in the media, leading to deterioration in relations.

Though the BJP seems firmly in saddle with a brute majority in the Lok Sabha, the NDA is in tatters, with most of its prominent constituents including TDP, Shiv Sena and Siromani Akali Dal, now out of the coalition. Moreover, the need for such a committee is likely to grow stronger as the Grand Alliance, at present limited to Bihar, may evolve into a formation with wider appeal across several other states. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed his intention to work for a united opposition to take on the BJP’s hegemony.

To this end, the chief minister is also expected to visit New Delhi next week, shortly after the expansion of his cabinet. In the national capital, Kumar is likely to meet top opposition leaders, including Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, said sources close to him. Meanwhile, Saurav also said that the CPI(ML)’s state committee meeting is scheduled here on Saturday which will be attended, among others, by secretary general Dipankar Bhattacharya.

Bhattacharya had earlier this week indicated that the party might not join the new government, preferring to support it from outside, though he had pitched for a common minimum programme. Saurav said that Bhattacharya may call on the chief minister to discuss a further plan of action with regard to building an anti-BJP front.

Besides the 12-MLA-strong CPI(ML), CPI and CPI(M) which have two MLAs each, have decided to extend outside support to the government.

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Akhilesh Yadav Optimistic About JD(U)-BJP Break Up in Bihar, Says Beginning of 'BJP Satta Chhodo'

The change of government in Bihar has filled the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh with ‘optimism’. SP President Akhilesh Yadav sees the BJP-JD(U) break-up as a “good start” for Indian politics.

“This is the beginning of the end. It signals ‘BJP satta chhodo’ on the lines of ‘Angrezo Bharat chhodo’ slogan that was coined during the Independence movement,” he stated.

Talking to reporters in Kannauj, Akhilesh said: “People in our communities are no longer getting postings in institutions and all BJP supporters are being appointed to key posts at universities and educational institutions.”

He further warned, “If they get more powerful, then your right to vote might also be taken away. People should not take such possibilities lightly as this was exactly what was happening in many countries in India’s neighbourhood.”

Akhilesh also targetted the ruling BJP for selling away public enterprises to corporates. He said the way in which the safron party was selling over government establishments like railways, airports and airlines, a time will come when people will be treated like slaves.

“If they (BJP) remain in control, all of us will turn into slaves,” Akhilesh said.

He added, “In days to come the government will not buy your wheat, private people will buy your wheat.”

The SP president further said that the BJP government is not the government of the poor and farmers.

“This is a government of industrialists. Since the BJP came to power, inflation has increased. From diesel-petrol to gas cylinders, milk, curd–everything has become expensive. Farmers are suffering losses in agriculture. Farmers are not even getting the cost price of their crops. Not only this, the BJP government has cheated the youth by introducing the Agniveer scheme in the Army,” he said.

He said, “In the coming time, this government will also bring a similar scheme in the recruitment of police and PAC. This government has also done government jobs on contract. The youth are not getting jobs. A large number of youths are unemployed. The BJP government is only working for the welfare of the Industrialists.”

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Congress Likely to Get 4 Ministerial Berths in New Government in Bihar, Say Sources

The Congress is likely to get four ministerial berths in the new government in Bihar as JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar snapped ties with the BJP and joined hands with the RJD-led alliance, sources said on Tuesday. Sources said Kumar spoke to both Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi soon after resigning from his post of chief minister. He is also learnt to have thanked the Congress leadership for extending support in the formation of the new government.

Besides the four ministerial berths, the Congress has also sought the post of Speaker of the state assembly, but Kumar is not keen on giving that, sources said. The Congress has 19 MLAs in the 243-member Bihar Assembly while the JD(U) has 45, RJD 79, CPI(ML) 12, and CPI and CPI(M) each have two legislators. The BJP has 77 MLAs in Bihar while the Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) has 4. The House has one Independent MLA while one seat is vacant.

Bihar Congress president Madan Mohan Jha and the party’s in-charge of Bihar affairs Bhakta Charan Das were present at the meeting of Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav and leaders of other parties. All 19 legislators of the Congress later attended a dinner meeting at the residence of the CLP leader in the Bihar assembly in Patna. Top Congress leadership in Delhi however, remained silent on the developments in Bihar and confabulations over the new government formation in the state.

Earlier, the Congress said it will be a part of the non-BJP alliance in Bihar to help strengthen secular forces. The party said that like in Maharashtra where it helped stitch together the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government by supporting the Shiv Sena which was ideologically different from it, it will align with Kumar who has been with them in the past.

“Ours is an ideological battle and we are not fighting for power. The Congress will support any non-BJP government and help strengthen secular forces,” Congress general secretary Tariq Anwar earlier told PTI. “Because Nitish Kumar is leaving the BJP and coming over, we will support him,” he said, adding the Congress will take whatever steps that are needed to strengthen secular forces and defeat the communal forces.

Taking a swipe at the BJP, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, tweeted, “In March 2020, Modi sarkar postponed Covid-19 lockdown to engineer the fall of the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh. Now, it cuts short Parliament session knowing its coalition government in Bihar is going. What goes up must come down!”

A meeting of the RJD-led Grand Alliance, comprising the Left and the Congress, also took place at Rabri Devi’s house, where all the MLAs are said to have signed a letter to support Kumar. Nitish Kumar is understood to have told JD(U) legislators and MPs, at a meeting he convened at his official residence, that he had been driven against the wall by the BJP which tried to weaken his party, first by propping up Chirag Paswan’s rebellion and later through its former national president RCP Singh.

Relations between the BJP and the JD(U) have been worsening in the wake of disagreements over a host of issues including caste census, population control and the ‘Agnipath’ defence recruitment scheme.

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