‘Something’s cooking’: Bihar DyCM fuels speculations after meeting RJD MLAs

After the recent meeting of five All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLAs with chief minister Nitish Kumar, on Tuesday, it was the turn of two RJD MLAs from Kosi region to meet deputy chief minister and BJP leader Tar Kishore Prasad, ostensibly for discussions over ‘development of their respective constituencies’, sparking another round of speculation in Bihar’s political circles.

Prasad’s intriguing comment made after meeting RJD’s Madhepura MLA Prof Chandrashekhar and Nawada MLA Bibha Devi on Tuesday has led to conjectures that something could be brewing.

“Khichri pak rahi hai, thali me aane tak intezaar kijiye, Prasad used a popular Hindi proverb to signal the media to wait for the political broth to be cooked for the final outcome of the developments.

Prof Chandrashekhar declared his Tuesday visit to Prasad to be a courtesy visit. However, he could not stop praising the deputy CM. “He is a very good man and we are from the same region,” he said, adding, “My visit was related to the issues of development and nothing else.”

On January 28, all five AIMIM MLAs from Seemanchal had met chief minister Nitish Kumar, triggering speculation about their possible shift to the JD(U). However, they too had incidentally described their meeting to be about the ‘development’ issues.

On Monday, AIMIM state president Akhatarul Iman, said their party was committed to the development of Seemanchal and threatened to launch an agitation if the development of the region was neglected.

“We fought the election on the issue of backwardness of Seemanchal and we will try our best to fight for this cause and will take to the streets if the government fails,” Iman had said while describing the purpose of their meeting with the CM.

“We want development of the Seemanchal region either by hook or by crook. People have expressed hope in us and by their blessings we won five seas in Seemanchal and emerged as a potential political power centre,” Iman added while exhorting Seemanchal MLAs and MPs to lend their support in the ‘fight’ for Seemanchal.

Seemanchal, once regarded as a bastion of the RJD, dealt a blow to the party, which could only win the Thakurganj seat in the region, where Saud Alam, son of late Congress MP Maulana Asrarul Haq, won.

Out of 37 assembly seats in Seemanchal and Kosi region, NDA won 23 seats. Out of the 24 assembly seats falling in Seemanchal’s four districts- Katihar, Araria, Kishanganj and Purnia, NDA won 12 seats while the AIMIM and the Congress won 5 each and one each went to the RJD and CPI-ML.

Similarly on Kosi region’s 13 seats, NDA won on 11 and the remaining two went to the RJD.

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“Tarkishore Parasad was offered the post of DCM as a reward as he is associated with the two regions,” said Naresh Kumar Srivasatava, a political observer.

Srivastava pointed out that the Deputy CM was born in Kosi and made Seemanchal his political turf. “Tarkishore Prasad is quite popular in Seemanchal and Kosi,” he said, adding, “MLAs from even the opposition parties will have a sense of bonhomie with Prasad.”