With Nitish Kumar away, coordination among Oppn groups won’t be easy: JD(U) leader KC Tyagi

LUCKNOW The dramatic political developments that unfolded in Bihar where its chief minister Nitish Kumar, an OBC leader, resigned to take oath afresh for the ninth time as state’s chief minister, this time with BJP backing and lending a powerful blow to the opposition alliance, will have its own impact in Uttar Pradesh.

Hindustan Times spoke to Nitish’s key aide and Janata Dal (United) general secretary KC Tyagi, a veteran socialist leader, on the kind of impact this political development will have in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the two states with 120 Lok Sabha seats, and if it meant curtains for the opposition unity plans. Excerpts from a telephonic interview:

Q: Something went horribly wrong, somewhere to force such a drastic change in the political script. What was it?

A: Yeah ... so much must have gone wrong to force the change in script. But what can you do?

Q: What happens to the Nitish Kumar rallies that were planned in U.P?

A: Rallies will be planned afresh with a newer approach (under the changed circumstances). The party work will go on.

Q: U.P. and Bihar account for 120 Lok Sabha seats and the fast-paced, dramatic political developments surely will impact 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Isn’t it?

A: Barring west U.P, the rest of U.P. and Bihar have similar most backward classes, their issues, similar demand for caste census that has regularly been made by BJP’s existing allies like the SBSP, Apna Dal (S) and the Nishad Party.

Q: Now, with Nitish Kumar gone, does the opposition alliance still have any steam left?

A: To put things straight, it was only Nitishji who was trying to make possible what otherwise was virtually impossible. See, all regional outfits of north India have got political space by fighting against the Congress. Be it Chaudhary Charan Singh’s Lok Dal or Mulayam Singh’s Samajwadi Party or Lalu Yadav’s RJD or Kanshiram’s BSP. Now, again, the Congress isn’t offering proper space to them. So, this fight will continue.

Q: So, this whole issue that led to dramatic parting of ways by Nitish Kumar, was it limited to the RJD or was there this Congress factor too that played a part?

A: Of course, there was this Congress issue too. We were very uncomfortable from the beginning with the Congress party’s design as well. On September 27, 2022, Tejashwi Yadav and all of us had gone to attend Devi Lal Jayanti. It was here that Nitishji had first said that without Congress there cannot be any viable alternative against the BJP. Thus, it was Nitish Kumar, who got political acceptability for the Congress within the opposition space that comprised parties, including those that got political space by fighting the Congress.

Q: So, are you saying without Nitish Kumar, a third front would have come up?

A: Yes, for your kind information, a third front was indeed in the offing comprising K Chandrashekhar Rao, Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Akhilesh Yadav. It was Nitishji who got these parties to agree to co-exist with the Congress within that alliance.

Q: Ok, what now? With Nitish Kumar out, will you be talking to Akhilesh Yadav as well and wean him away from the opposition alliance?

A: That is out of the question and more so now that we are part of the NDA. But let me tell you, no one is comfortable in the opposition alliance. Neither DMK, nor Sharad Pawar, nor Mamata nor Akhilesh. Mark my words, now (with Nitish out), any coordination among these groups will be very difficult.

Q: But Akhilesh Yadav has said seat-sharing talks with the Congress in U.P. were successful?

A: I know that but is the Congress ok with the 11-seat offer? Most of the seats offered are those that are “lost seats.”

Q: So, you aren’t optimistic about the alliance in Uttar Pradesh?

A: Not just in U.P, but across the country too, I think the chances of the (opposition) alliance succeeding is slim.

Q: These developments in Bihar, of course, appear to be a huge boost to the NDA in the state but how do you see it impacting U.P, where there is a huge Kurmi population for whom Nitish Kumar’s rallies were earlier scheduled?

A: There are 48 seats in U.P. with a sizeable Kurmi population. From Bareilly to Varanasi, from Kanpur (Dehat) to Deoria, there is a sizeable Kurmi presence in Awadh, from Gonda, Bahraich ... I remember visiting Amethi when Sharad Yadav had contested against Rajiv Gandhi there in the 80s and there were many Kurmi voters not just there but across the area.

Q: So, you seem to be suggesting that Nitish factor would help sweep Kurmi votes en masse the NDA way?

A: Of course.

Q: Since you are talking of the Kurmi spread even in Amethi and Rae Bareli, does it then also mean Nitish Kumar campaigning in these seats?

A: That I can’t say now, and I feel it won’t be right to disclose so even if any of this were to happen.

Q: The local JD (U) unit in U.P. had earlier sent a proposal wanting Nitish Kumar to contest from any of the Kurmi-dominated seats in Uttar Pradesh. Though the situation has changed now, does the possibility still exist?

A: No, not now. I don’t think so. It is true that there was a proposal for Nitishji to contest from U.P. and had he contested surely Akhilesh would have benefitted. Now, that is no longer on the cards.

Q: When will Nitish Kumar begin campaigning in U.P?

A: We will decide all of that in a few days. Today, he has taken oath again and let him seek a vote of confidence of the assembly again.