BJP leaders suspect that Nitish Kumar could use the issue of caste census to corner the saffron outfit
Bihar politics is passing through uncertain times amid growing closeness between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and leader of opposition Tejaswai Yadav. On Wednesday, Nitish and Tejashwi held an hour-long talk, on the RJD leader’s demand for an expeditious caste census in Bihar. Both Janata Dal (U) and RJD are on the same page on this issue, while the BJP is not ready to endorse any such move that could revive the Mandal Vs Kamandal debate and blunt the edge of Hindutva appeal. Tejashwi sounded satisfied with the outcome of his meeting with Nitish Kumar and decided to put on hold his proposed “padyatra” to Delhi to put pressure on the Centre to allow the caste census. BJP leaders have reasons to suspect that Nitish Kumar could use the issue of caste census to walk out of the NDA or force the saffron outfit to do likewise. With the Presidential election round the corner, BJP could ill afford to antagonize Nitish Kumar whose party could decide the fate of the NDA presidential nominee. To appease Nitish Kumar, the BJP central leadership has replaced the party’s longtime Bihar in-charge Bhupendra Yadav with his ministerial colleague Dharmendra Pradhan. But that has not helped the matter, either. The BJP leadership will do well to remember that in the 2012 presidential election Nitish Kumar, then in the NDA, voted for UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee. Similarly, in 2017, Kumar voted for NDA nominee Ramnath Kovind even though he was part of the mahagathbhandan in Bihar.
The way things stand in Bihar, Nitish Kumar seemed to have made up his mind to explore options outside the NDA. Knowing it too well that after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he would become irrelevant for both the BJP and the Opposition, Nitish is making deft moves to mend fences with his political rivals. Nitish has placed special emphasis on addressing the sensitivity of the minority voters. He has strongly opposed the demand for the removal of loudspeakers from masjids and also rejected any move to bring a Uniform Civil code. With JD(U) and BJP leaders frequently targeting each other on both political and ideological issues, the NDA is looking like an increasingly fragile force in Bihar. Nitish Kumar makes his moves after giving serious thoughts. The BJP leaders would wait with bated breaths for the next move of one of the shrewdest politicians of our times.
