All this is rumour: RJD MP Manoj Jha junks Nitish Kumar’s switchover claims
Patna (Bihar) [India], January 27 (ANI): Amid reports that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may rejoin the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha rubbished all such claims saying that they are mere rumours.
“All this is a rumour. And the restlessness which has arisen due to this rumour can only be taken care of by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. I have not received any response from him yet,” Jha said speaking to ANI on Saturday.
Jha said that Bihar is a hot topic for the entire country and he does not see any rift between the Janata Dal United and the RJD.
“Bihar is a topic of discussion in the whole country and for good reason. I don’t see any rift,” the RJD leader said.
Jha asserted that the Mahagathbandhan alliance is flourishing in Bihar under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.
“In the end, the head of this ‘mahagathbandhan’ is Nitish Kumar. Lalu Prasad and Tejaswi Yadav laid the foundation, the purpose of which was to defeat the hate politics being done by Prime Minister Modi. That has been achieved and is flourishing,” he said.
Meanwhile, RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari said that the Nitish-Tejashwi government is working strongly in Bihar but no one can guarantee what will happen in the future.
“Nitish-Tejashwi government is working strongly in Bihar and it will continue to do so. How can we know what happens in future? The way the Rashtriya Janata Dal and our leaders have fought in politics is known to everyone. Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejaswi Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal are known for their struggles. Our party and leaders are committed to the public. This government is working for the benefit of Bihar,” Tiwari said speaking to ANI on Saturday.
Speaking about rumours of rift between the JD(U) and the RJD, he said, “When there is no distance between their hearts, then the distance between the chairs does not matter…”
Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Tiwari said, “The BJP is scared about 2024 (general elections) and this is why they are opening doors for all. Who is standing behind the door needs to be seen.”
Tiwari also asserted that the rumours about Nitish Kumar’s switch to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) should be brought to an end.
“The current state of confusion should be brought to an end,” he said.
There are speculations that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may cross over to the NDA again, an alliance he left in 2022 to join hands with the opposition and form ‘Mahagathbandhan’.
It all started when former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya took a swipe at RJD’s ruling ally, JDU, on ‘X’, posting that while the ‘socialist party’ (JDU) styles itself as progressive, its ideology shifts with the changing wind patterns, a statement which triggered cracks within the ruling alliance.
If Nitish crosses over, this would be the fourth time he would be switching sides. In the Bihar Assembly of 243, the RJD has 79 MLAs; followed by the BJP’s 78; the JD(U)’s 45, the Congress’s 19, the CPI (M-L)’s 12, two each of the CPI(M) and CPI, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular)’s four seats, and the AIMIM’s one, plus one Independent legislator.