On Wednesday, political strategist Prashant Kishor alleged that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is in contact with BJP. He also said he might go back and tie up with the party again if the situation demands. The JD(U), which had snapped ties with the BJP earlier this year to bring back the Mahagathbandhan in power along with the Lalu Prasad-led RJD, dismissed the claims as misleading and aimed at spreading confusion.
Prashant Kishor is on “Padyatra” in Bihar in what is widely seen as a precursor to his new entry into active politics. According to PTI, Nitish Kumar has kept a line of communication open with BJP through JD(U) MP and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh.
The query has been sent to Harivansh to get his reaction to it but didn’t get any response from his side. However, his party rejected the claim and asserted that Nitish Kumar would never join hands with BJP again.
Kishor stated, “People who think that Nitish Kumar is actively building a national alliance against the BJP will be surprised to know that he has kept a line open with the BJP. He is in touch with the BJP through his party MP and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh Ji.” He suggested that Harivansh has not been asked to resign his Rajya Sabha post even though the JD(U) has severed ties with the BJP.
“People must remember that whenever such circumstances arise, he can go back to the BJP and work with it,” he said.
The Janata Dal (United) concluded Kishor, with its spokesperson KC Tyagi noting that the Bihar chief minister has publicly announced that he will never again in his life join hands with the BJP.
“We strongly refute his claims. Kumar has been in active politics for over 50 years and Kishor for six months. Kishor has made such a misleading comment to spread confusion,” Tyagi said.
Prashant Kishor began his ‘padyatra’ on October 2 from the Gandhi ashram in Betiharwa in West Champaran. He set a goal to complete a 3,500-km journey in the next 12-15 months in Bihar, seeking people’s support to ‘change’ the system. He was in the JD(U) for less than 18 months before being expelled from the party in 2020 for his strident criticism of Kumar for his support to the BJP over disputable measures like the Citizenship Amendment Act. Kumar was then a BJP ally.
The JD(U) leader recently snapped his party’s ties with the BJP, joined hands with the RJD-Congress-Left alliance in Bihar, and has vowed to work to build a coalition against the saffron party at the national level. He has asserted that the United opposition will topple the BJP from power at the Centre.
