The political controversy in Bihar has once again grabbed the limelight as JDU leaders including, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has been sidelined by the central government. On Saturday, the Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated a road overbridge made over the eastern railway crossing of Ara station. While several BJP leaders including, the deputy CM of the state were invited to the inauguration programme, JDU leaders along with CM Nitish Kumar were sidelined. However, with such a move to sideline Nitish Kumar, PM Modi led BJP government has indicated that Nitish Kumar, is no longer required in NDA. Assumably that BJP is implying that Nitish is allowed to jump out of the NDA’s ship.
Any development program in the state is inaugurated under the CM of the state even if he belongs to the rival parties thus, Nitish not being invited by BJP during the inauguration of overbridge is a massive blow to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.
However, the tussle between JDU and BJP has been intensifying over the demand of caste census by Nitish Kumar, who currently is dreaming to replace PM Modi to become the next Prime Minister of India. He has been asking the Centre to order a Caste Census to count the OBCs for a while. In such a move, he went down to join hands with his arch-rival Tejashwi Yadav. He had recently met Prime Minister Modi for the same.
While the BJP is being pressurised by the regional parties in Bihar to take a stand on the matter, the party has so far avoided this. The Union government said that as per existing policy, only SCs and STs were to be enumerated in the Census.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Union minister Bhupender Yadav had said, “The ministry concerned has to take so many things into account… No decision has been taken yet.”
It could be risky for the Modi government ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections. The party came to power in UP after a hiatus of 14 years in 2017 with strong support from the OBCs, but it also remains dedicated to its core upper-caste voter in Uttar Pradesh, especially at a time when the construction of the Ram Temple is expected to be a major poll plank in the 2022 elections.
Earlier reported by TFI, In 2013, Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) had broken away with BJP when the saffron party declared Modi as Prime Ministerial candidate to distance himself from the so-called “communal” leader, with whose support he became CM for the fourth time.
