Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is an important ally of NDA today, but till some time ago he was the biggest face of opposition unity. He played an important role in laying the foundation of INDIA alliance by talking to leaders across the country.
Then after a meeting he left the alliance and returned with BJP before the 2024 elections. What happened after all that Nitish became disillusioned? The reason for this has been given by JDU’s acting national president Sanjay Kumar Jha.
When was the agreement reached?
Speaking to Indian Express, Sanjay Jha said that in the beginning of 2023, a consensus was reached among the opposition parties that Nitish Kumar should be made the coordinator of the alliance. Congress also agreed to this. Nitish himself was not claiming the post of Prime Minister, but everyone agreed on the role of convenor.
Two leaders changed the whole picture
According to Jha, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal put forward a new proposal in the meeting held in Delhi or Mumbai. Both of them said that the convener should be a Dalit leader and suggested the name of Mallikarjun Kharge. Jha says that this proposal was made with planning. Due to this, Congress also came on the back foot and the matter got worse.
He said that Nitish did not want the post, but once the matter is decided then it does not seem right to change it. Jha alleged that because of just two people, the unity of the entire alliance was lost. After this, things kept getting worse in the alliance.
From Patna meeting to changing sides
Nitish Kumar left BJP in 2023 and formed a grand alliance government. After this he toured the country to unite the opposition at the national level. On 23 June 2023, a big meeting of opposition parties was held in Patna in which almost all the leaders participated. It was through this process that INDIA alliance was formed.
But by December 2023, discussions started about Nitish changing sides again. Political turmoil intensified in January 2024 and on January 28, Nitish resigned from the post of Chief Minister. The grand alliance broke and he formed the government again with the support of BJP. After his resignation, Nitish had said that everything was not going well in the alliance and the workers were of the opinion that they should separate.
impact on alliance
After Nitish’s departure, INDIA alliance weakened. A consensus could not be reached on seat sharing till the Lok Sabha elections. In Bengal, Mamata did not give seat to Congress, in Punjab Kejriwal also contested the elections alone.
There was an alliance in Delhi but due to fighting separately in Punjab, the credibility of the alliance was damaged. BJP suffered a setback in the election results, but the opposition also could not take much advantage. Whereas Nitish Kumar now remains an important part of the NDA government.
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