The founder behind the Jan Suraj Padyatra, Prashant Kishor, debunked speculations regarding Nitish Kumar assuming a significant role in the I.N.D.I.A alliance. He remarked that Kumar holding a pivotal position as a coordinator is an illusion being fervently disseminated.
Kishor emphasized that Congress remains the most substantial entity within the alliance, followed by TMC and DMK, leaving Kumar’s JDU with scant sway. He also underlined that the grand alliance conceived by Kumar in Bihar lacks a national vision and is merely a strategy to retain his seat in the upcoming 2024 assembly.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Sanjay Jaiswal repudiated rumors about a possible BJP and JD(U) rapprochement, amidst the courteous exchanges between PM Narendra Modi and the Bihar CM during the recent G20 summit in Delhi. Jaiswal maintained that Kumar had lost Bihar’s trust, terming their previous alliance as burdened by Kumar’s diminished reputation.
As the discourse unfolds with Home Minister Amit Shah’s impending visit to Bihar on September 16, BJP harbors aspirations to foster a majority in the 2025 Bihar assembly sans JD(U). Jaiswal expressed this ambition vehemently, pointing to JD(U)’s underwhelming performance in the last elections, failing to secure even 50 seats. BJP attributes this shortfall to a scheme orchestrated with Chirag Paswan, then the leader of the Lok Janshakti Party.
On the flip side, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar criticized the central government for allegedly sidelining the modern Nalanda International University during the G20 summit. He further castigated the BJP-RSS for purported interference in the university’s affairs, contending a curriculum more bent on BJP ideologies than relevant Buddhist studies.
As parties hone their strategies eyeing the 2025 assembly polls, the political climate in Bihar escalates with a war of words and conflicting ideologies, illustrating a vehement competition in the electoral arena. The BJP stands firm in its decision to part ways with JD(U), forecasting a heated and polarized political battlefield as the elections approach.