Why the JD(U) is not playing hardball with the BJP
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s poor health and the lack of a succession plan in the party are contributing to a drift towards the BJP, observers say.
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On July 29, the Janata Dal (United) took two major decisions in its executive committee meeting. The party appointed a new working president and passed a resolution asking the Centre to announce a special status for Bihar or grant it a special financial package.
While special status for Bihar is a long standing demand of the party, it has for the first time proposed an alternative in the form of a special financial package.
The newly appointed working president Sanjay Jha said after the meeting that the alternative was added to the resolution because the Finance Commission had done away with the idea of giving special status to states. “The purpose is that Bihar must get central assistance, whatever be the name,” Jha said.
But many saw in the move, a softening of the JD(U)’s stance, which they connected to the new working president’s background. Jha was earlier a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and still has good relations with his former outfit.
Last month, the Janata Dal (United) performed better than most predictions in the Lok Sabha elections, winning 12 of the 16 seats it contested in Bihar, equal to the BJP’s tally in the state. The results have made the party an indispensable ally for...
