‘Nitish Kumar was unfair’: RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav supports Chirag Paswan

A day after attacking the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) as the B team of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday expressed his sympathy for LJP leader Chirag Paswan and said chief minister Nitish Kumar had been unfair to the young politician ahead of the upcoming state polls.

Without going into the specifics of how exactly Nitish Kumar had been unfair to Chirag Paswan, the RJD’s chief ministerial face noted that Paswan had recently lost his father and LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan.

“What Nitish Kumar Ji did with Chirag Paswan is not good. Chirag needs his father today more than ever before but Ram Vilas Paswan Ji is not among us and we are sad about it. Nitish Kumar did injustice with Chirag Paswan, his behaviour is unfair,” Tejashwi Yadav said.

Chirag Paswan’s father passed away on October 8. Citing ideological differences with Nitish Kumar, the politician has pulled the LJP out of the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar while insisting that it supports the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre. He also said the BJP and LJP would form a coalition government after the results of the three-phase election are declared on November 10.

On Sunday, Yadav took a swipe at the LJP in electoral rallies ahead of the assembly elections. “They are vote katwas (vote splitters),” he said, urging voters to beware of the BJP’s B-team

The LJP thanked Yadav for his expression of support on Monday. “Everybody has been approving what Chirag Paswan’s views at one point or the other. First they criticise, later they toe his line,” said LJP spokesperson Ashraf Ansari.

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Both Tejashwi and Chirag are facing the state elections without the presence of their fathers for the first time. RJD president Lalu Prasad is serving a jail term and cannot take part in elections; Ram Vilas Paswan’s death has deprived Chirag Paswan of an experienced political mentor. Tejashwi Yadav’s conciliatory comments towards Chirag Paswan sparked a new round of speculation about post-poll alliances.

“You cannot rule out a post-poll alliance this election. Not only Chirag, other parties have kept their options open as the election may witness a low turnout. A slight swing will become a deciding factor,” said D M Diwakar, a politicval expert and former director of the AN Sinha Institute for Social Studies.

On Monday, Chirag Paswan again reiterated that a BJP-LJP government will be formed in Bihar after assembly poll results are declared on November 10, and asked BJP leaders not to use terms like vote splitter against his party “just to keep Kumar happy”.

“Ultimately, a BJP-LJP government will be formed in the state after November 10,” he said.