Zee Media Bureau
Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Parasad Yadav is in no mood to spare Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is alleged to have masterminded the recent split in the former`s party.
The RJD chief, who had last week warned to teach a lesson to Nitish Kumar, is said to be planning to pay back the latter in the same coin. If sources are to be believed then the RJD chief has contacted at least seven of Janata Dal (United) MPs with a promise to give them tickets from their coveted constituencies.
The development can trigger a split in Nitish Kumar`s JD-U, especially after he expelled five MPs, including Shivanand Tiwari, for working against the interest of the party last week.
A section of the JD-U MPs and MLAs are also upset with the way Nitish Kumar has been handling the affairs of the party, leaving a little say for national president Sharad Yadav.
According to reports, Sushil Singh, Purnamashi Ram and Mangni Lal Mandal don`t share a good rapport with the Bihar CM since 2010 and the party has taken disciplinary action against them as well.
After being denied a Rajya Sabha ticket, Shivanand Tiwari had vociferously spoken against the alleged totalitarian ways of Nitish Kumar. He had even said that Nitish Kumar actually engineered defections in the RJD.
All this is happening in the aftermath of Nitish Kumar rejecting the applications of Shivanand Tiwari, NK Singh and Sabir Ali of sending them to Rajya Sabha. Party insiders also claim that Kumar had even bypassed Sharad Yadav in deciding to split with the BJP.
The speculations are rife that top JD-U MPs like Maheswar Hazari, Monazir Hassan, Baidnath Prasad Mehto, Bhudev Chaudhary may soon quit the party, fearing the denial of tickets this time, and may join hands with Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is already waiting for any opportunity to hit his arch-rival Kumar hard.
Another matter of concern for the JD-U is LJP`s alliance with the BJP which was announced last week. LJP chief Ram Vilash Paswan would be sharing the dais with Narendra Modi in Muzaffarpur today.
Nitish Kumar had heaped praises on the dalit leader on various occasions in the past hoping to seal a deal with the LJP, which may this time round swing the mahadalit vote in NDA`s favour.
The split within the RJD and the delay in its alliance with the Congress have considerably dampened the prospects of the party in the forthcoming elections thereby forcing Lalu Prasad Yadav to leave the talks with the Congress and head back to Bihar to save his party.
With now the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party and the LJP, both championing the causes of the mahadalits and EBCs, teaming up with the BJP, it appears that Nitish Kumar will have a tough time convincing the voters.
