India opposition splits over Modi

India’s main opposition alliance split yesterday, with the second-biggest party in the coalition pulling out after hardliner Narendra Modi was elected to lead the dominant party’s 2014 election campaign.
The Janata Dal United (JDU) ended ties with the National Democratic Alliance — a federal coalition led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — saying it fears Modi’s anti-Muslim image could alienate voters in next year’s polls.
“We have decided to end the 17-year-old political alliance. It is important to walk away when there is a difference of opinion and political thought,” Nitish Kumar, a senior JDU leader and chief minister of eastern Bihar state said.
JD-U President Sharad Yadav said: “Since there was divergence of opinion on basic issues with the BJP, we decided to part ways.”
Political pundits say it will have a serious impact on Bihar’s opposition party, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), led by Lalu Prasad Yadav. “After the split, the BJP with 91 MLAs is going to be the main opposition party in the assembly and the RJD is bound to lose two key posts to the BJP, as per convention,” a Delhi University professor told Arab News.
The JD-U has split ties with the BJP eying the Muslim vote bank, hence the RJD will have a tough time ahead, said the analyst.
Details — Page 8