Lalu Yadav’s offer to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for tie-up sparks buzz; Tejashwi downplays

Political temperature in Bihar has once again heated up amid Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Yadav extending an offer to chief minister Nitish Kumar for realigning with his party even as the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) strongman on Thursday downplayed the offer while leader of the opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav too reiterated there was no chance of a tie-up.

In a brief interaction with media, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar came up with a cryptic response to RJD president Lalu Yadav’s offer to return to the INDIA bloc. “Kya bol rahe hain [What are you saying],” was all the JD(U) boss said in reply to queries from journalists about Prasad’s fresh offer. Kumar was interacting with media at the Raj Bhawan after oath-taking ceremony of Arif Mohammed Khan as new governor of Bihar on Thursday.

CM Nitish Kumar had aligned twice with the RJD, a constituent of the INDIA bloc, in the last one decade.

In 2015, CM Kumar had aligned with the RJD-Congress combine to form government and left in 2017 while again had realigned with the grand alliance in August 2022. In July 2023, opposition came together under the banner ‘INDIA’, which CM Kumar walked out of later to join hands with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Lalu Yadav’s offer

The latest round of speculation about political realignment in the state ahead of the October-November polls this year has gained traction after RJD chief Lalu Yadav on Monday in an interview to a private channel had said that ‘if CM Kumar comes to INDIA bloc , he would be accepted “.

“We will accept CM Kumar if he comes to our side. Our doors are always open. CM Kumar should also keep his doors open. This would facilitate movement of people from both sides,” Lalu Yadav said, adding that he would also forgive the JD(U) strongman for having snapped ties with the RJD many a times in the past.

“I always forgive. I will forgive him this time too , if he ( read CM Kumar) decides to come to our side and joins us. We will work together,”Prasad said.

A few weeks back, RJD’s senior leader and MLA Bhai Birendra, too, had made a statement, saying that INDIA bloc and RJD was always ready to take back CM Kumar in their fold, if the JD(U) supremo decides to switch sides.

“In politics, everything is possible. There are no permanent friends or enemies in politics,” Birendra said, stoking speculation of a possible political realignment in the state and all was not well within the NDA.

Incidentally, RJD chief ‘s son Tejashwi Yadav sought to downplay the remarks made by his father about the offer to CM Kumar to realign with the INDIA bloc. Tejashwi said that the RJD supremo had merely tried to satisfy the curiosity of the prying media and reiterated that there was no chance of any fresh tie up or realignment with CM Kumar.

“What would he do if people like you keep coming to him with the same question? Whatever he said must have been aimed at putting an end to curiosity of you journalists.”

” I have already made my stand clear on this subject earlier. I stand by it,” the 35-year-old said, while interacting with the media after oath taking ceremony of new Governor at Raj Bhawan on Thursday. A few days back, the opposition leader had claimed that “doors for entry of CM Kumar in the INDIA bloc was closed” and there would be no realignment with the JD(U) while stressing that people of the state would oust the NDA government in the 2025 assembly polls.

On the first day of the new year on Wednesday, Tejashwi had reiterated that the year would herald a new beginning for the state and asserted that people of the state would replace the present dispensation of NDA with RJD-led alliance.

BJP, JD(U) rubbish speculation of realignment

Meanwhile, BJP and JD(U) leaders have rubbished the speculation of any political realignment and said the RJD chief and his younger son were day dreaming of JD(U) joining hands with the INDIA bloc.

Union minister and former JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, while reacting on RJD chief’s offer to CM Kumar, said , “The NDA is strong. JD(U) and BJP are united. It is a free society and anybody can say whatever he pleases. It is for Lalu ji to say more on his own utterances”, he said.

Deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Samrat Choudhary, too, said that the RJD chief was day dreaming of JD(U) realigning with the RJD and said that ‘NDA would form government in the state again after the 2025 polls”.

JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar said that RJD chief’s statement had already been contradicted by his younger son Tejashwi ,indicating how there is lack of understanding between father and son. ” We have always said that RJD chief is now being sidelined. It is apparent as his statement has been disapproved by his son,” the JD(U) leader said.

However, senior JD(U) leader and minister Maheshwar Hazari, while reacting on RJD chief’s statement, said that there is full unity in NDA while asserting that ‘ in politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies’.