A new turn has come in the politics of Bihar. Opposition party IIP MLA IP Gupta has suddenly demanded to make Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh the next Chief Minister of Bihar. This statement has come at a time when discussions are going on within BJP and JDU regarding the next Chief Minister.
Patna: MLA IP Gupta, the main strategist of sending RJD leader AD Singh of Bhumihar community to Rajya Sabha in the Rajya Sabha elections, has now started a new political battle. This time he is advocating making another Bhumihar leader, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh, the next Chief Minister of Bihar.
Experts believe that this strategy of IP Gupta is an attempt to strengthen his presence within the upper caste community and change the political equation. The question arises why MLA IP Gupta is showing so much trust in the upper caste leader, while it is believed that the next Chief Minister will be from BJP.
IP Gupta’s big statement
Speaking to the media, former RJD strategist and IIP MLA IP Gupta said, “This state has been run by socialist leaders like Shri Krishna Singh, Karpoori Thakur and Nitish Kumar. There is still one leader in the NDA who is a socialist stream politician. This name is being discussed and that is Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh. Why not make him the next Chief Minister of Bihar.”
This statement of Gupta is not limited to the name of just one person, rather he has challenged the social equations within the NDA by raising the upper caste-backward politics.
NDA stuck in upper caste-backward equation
There is talk in the political circles that even within BJP there is a debate going on about the upper caste Chief Minister. During the Samriddhi Yatra of Lakhisarai, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had put forward Bhumihar leader Vijay Kumar Sinha. Apart from this, names like Mangal Pandey, Samrat Chaudhary, Nityanand Rai, Dilip Jaiswal, Sanjeev Chaurasia and Rajendra Gupta were also in discussion.
Now IP Gupta’s statement has created a new political challenge on NDA by adding Lalan Singh’s name to this equation. The opposition is on a strategy to create debate and tension in the NDA regarding this statement.
Reaction of BJP and JDU
BJP spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel said, “IP Gupta should not worry about who will be the next CM of Bihar. He should worry about the scattered parties of the opposition. The path of the next Chief Minister will be decided by the choice of Nitish Kumar. The final decision will be taken by the central leadership of BJP. JDU spokesperson Mahesh Das also clarified the situation and said, “Who will be the Chief Minister of Bihar, it will be decided by the NDA constituents.
The guidance of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is paramount. All the parties of NDA will together select the eligible person and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will give the final approval to him. Many leaders including Lalan Singh have the potential to become Chief Minister, but whatever happens, will happen as per the wishes of Nitish Kumar.
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