NEW DELHI, 3 April 2005 — A fresh round of maneuvers have emerged in Bihar with the two major players Lok Janshakti Party President Ram Vilas Paswan and the Janata Dal (U) chief Nitish Kumar meeting to forge a democratically-elected government in the state in an effort to put an end to president’s rule.
Paswan and Nitish Kumar yesterday met at the residence of Bihar state Samajwadi Party (SP) President Dadan Pahalwan. The meeting was made possible with Paswan and LJP softening their stand on joining the coalition in Bihar with outside support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
On Friday Paswan was reported to have said that he would not hesitate in taking outside support of the BJP in the government formation. This volte-face was all the more surprising, for a day earlier Paswan was sticking to his guns, while describing the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as “untouchable.”
“I will not compromise by joining with the communal forces for the sake of power,” he was reported to have said when asked to comment on the rumor that LJP was ready to shake hands with NDA. “I will neither give nor take support from the BJP and the RJD. The next CM of Bihar should be a Muslim,” Paswan had said. But yesterday Paswan was singing a different tune saying, “Will I chase away anyone with a stick if they want to support me?”
After his meeting with Paswan, JD-U’s Nitish Kumar said that his party has decided to take the initiative to form the government. “We have drafted a common minimum program (CMP) after a three-day meet at Rajgir recently. All the anti-RJD forces have come together for this CMP for the development of the state,” he added.
Pahalwan too said Paswan and Nitish discussed with him the matter relating to government formation. “We are hopeful of a positive outcome soon,” he said. Pahalwan said the SP with four MLAs would extend support to a non-RJD and non-BJP government in Bihar.
Earlier, Nitish Kumar said a copy of the CMP has been sent to the LJP, CPI-ML (Liberation), CPI, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) besides 17 independents.
The developments in Bihar have raised speculations on whether it would prove expensive for the Congress-led UPA at the center or costly for BJP in Bihar.
Taking strong objection to Paswan having expressed willingness to form the Bihar government with BJP’s external support, CPI (M) said yesterday that this was not acceptable. “It is very unfortunate thing for the LJP to do. If the reports are true, you cannot negotiate with communal forces in Bihar and continue to remain a member of the UPA in the name of fighting communal forces at the center,” CPI (M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury said yesterday. Describing Paswan’s stand as “a case of political opportunism,” Yechury said that the people would not accept it.
Paswan also said that JD (U) would have to choose between Bihar and BJP. “Support from inside or outside can be looked into later, but first, the JD-U should decide between Bihar and the BJP, if not at the national level, at least in Bihar. If it is Bihar, then it has to snap ties with the BJP,” Paswan said.
The BJP and JD (U) however did not accept this political strategy of Paswan. Rejecting it JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar has said that his party would not desert BJP.
On its part, the NDA has authorized Nitish Kumar to pursue the process of forming the Bihar government. “The National Democratic Alliance has authorized Nitishji to carry forward the dialogue for installation of a non-Rashtriya Janata Dal government. The BJP will fully support Kumar, whom the NDA had projected as chief ministerial candidate during the elections,” BJP’s national Vice President Sushil Kumar Modi said.
