Kurmi gathering in Patna put on hold

This was proposed as the second large meeting of the community after the Kurmi Chetna rally in 1994. (Nalanda. Source: Google Maps)

Former JD(U) MLA Rajib Ranjan, who joined BJP before the 2015 Assembly polls, has withheld a meeting of OBC Kurmis at Patna scheduled for November 5, reportedly under pressure from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. This was proposed as the second large meeting of the community after the Kurmi Chetna rally in 1994. It was this meeting in Gandhi Maidan after which Nitish, who is from Kurmi community, emerged as a pan-Bihar leader.

Rajib Ranjan told The Indian Express, “I planned this meeting much before Nitish Kumar returned to NDA. I had not planned to hold it under BJP’s banner, and had decided to organise it to mark Sardar Vallabhai Patel’s birth anniversary. But I planned to invite all top BJP leaders.” The programme was scheduled at S K Memorial Hall near Gandhi Maidan. Ranjan said members of the Kurmi community in Nalanda were excited about it.

Asked if any top state BJP leader asked him to cancel or postpone the event, he said, “Though no top BJP leader has called me, I have been under tremendous pressure to withhold it. I have not yet cancelled the booking for the function but have put it on hold.”

BJP sources said the party would not like any of its leaders to hold a function that might not be appreciated by CM Nitish Kumar. “We are alliance partners now and have to take care of each other’s sentiments. Even though there is no direct call from the CM, a senior JD (U) spokesperson has spoken up against the proposed function,” said a senior BJP leader. The move was being seen as BJP’s bid to expand its support base and also a bid by Ranjan to showcase his clout in the community.

JD (U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said: “BJP had little to do with this function. Ranjan was a former chairman of Jharkhand electricity board who was brought to politics by Nitish Kumar and given a ticket in the 2010 Assembly polls. He is not a mass leader”. Asked if the CM could have played a role in postponing Kurmi meet, he said, “The CM does not take notice of such matters. He has not made even a passing reference.”