Speculation as Rabri Devi spins a web around Nitish Kumar

PATNA: “What the BJP does is known only after it is done,” was the cryptic message of RJD leader Rabri Devi to the JD(U), as she took the opposition’s attempt to draw Nitish Kumar back into the Mahagatbandhan fold a notch higher on Friday. Hinting at a strong possibility of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar returning to the Grand Alliance, Rabri said that all the constituents of the opposition would discuss Nitish’s return when required.

Addressing reporters at her residence on Friday, Rabri doubted whether BJP could engineer a rerun of the Arunachal episode, wherein six JD(U) MLAs switched camp to join BJP.  Rabri’s was the fresh salvo in the opposition’s attempt to draw Nitish away from the BJP. Earlier, RJD leaders, including Uday Narayan Chaudhary, invited Nitish Kumar to join Mahagatbandhan and support Tejashwi Yadav to stake claim to the chief minister’s seat in exchange of becoming the prime ministerial face of the Grand Alliance in the 2024 general election. Meanwhile, responding to Rabri’s statement, JDU leader Sanjay Singh said that the RJD was daydreaming to ally with the JD(U). “The RJD is desperate for power. They are trying to create confusion through such baseless statements,” he said. 

Rejecting RJD’s offer, the JD(U) lashed out at the opposition for its hunger for power. Meanwhile, reliable sources in the RJD said that RJD leaders have been measured in their attack on NDA as Lalu Prasad Yadav – doing time after his conviction in the fodder scam – asked them to refrain from launching any direct attack on Nitish. 

However, RJD is learnt to be chalking out a political strategy to bring Nitish back into the Grand Alliance by stirring up a churn in the NDA. RJD’s attempts are proving to be helpful to the JD(U) in keeping the BJP in control in Bihar, sources said. Meanwhile, Nitish told media that his duty was to serve the people and he was doing what the people gave him the madate for.