As LJP president Chirag Paswan cautioned youths on Monday against voting for the JDU in the upcoming Bihar polls, it became clearer that the attack was being directed by the BJP, say leaders from Nitish Kumar’s party.
Chirag, who has been targeting Nitish Kumar since February, said any votes to the JDU would be a “waste”. In a letter to the electorate, he said Nitish has “failed on all fronts”, as he himself promised a better future once LJP-BJP is voted to power.
On Sunday, LJP had accused the JDU-led government of betraying the people of Bihar and stressed that it would be out of power after the assembly elections. The elections will be held on October 28, November 3 and November 7, while November 10 will be the results day.
From the handling of Bihari migrant workers who had returned during the lockdown to the announcement of giving government jobs to a family member of SC/ST people in case of murder, Chirag has been taking Nitish head-on.
JDU leaders say BJP is backing Chirag behind the scene. LJP’s decision to field its candidates against JDU picks only smacked of political conspiracy by BJP, they said. JDU sources also pointed that Chirag has been only picking Nitish from the NDA while praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In BJP’s first virtual interaction with the state leaders, its general secretary Bhupinder Yadav had exhorted party workers to ensure that BJP got enough seats to form the government on its own.
By pitting LJP against JDU, sources said, the BJP is getting even with the CM for the insulted meted out to Modi and other BJP leaders in 2013 by Nitish who had withdrawn a dinner invitation to them at the CM’s bungalow to protest his pictures with the PM’s in newspapers and hoardings. NItish also dropped the BJP ministers from his government without notice and formed a new government in alliance with the RJD and Congress.
In 2005 too, LJP had prevented Nitish Kumar from getting the vote of confidence in the assembly and his government lasted only six days. Then LJP had senior Nitish colleagues like Ramashyara Prasad Singh, Narendra Singh, Ranjan Prasad Yadav in its team. Forward caste voters who were unhappy with the Lalu-Rabri regime had supported LJP. A repeat of that scene is expected in 2020.
