Nitish Kumar busy with bid to unite opposition, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav waiting in wings to become CM

PATNA: Even during the outing of Bihar CM and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar to Kolkata and Lucknow on Monday to hold talks for an opposition unity against PM Narendra Modi and BJP during the parliamentary elections next year, state deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav was on his side like a shadow, as if waiting in the wings to become the chief minister. A similar scene was there when Nitish, earlier, had discussions with Congress leaders in Delhi.
On Monday, Nitish first met West Bengal CM and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee at Kolkata and then followed it up by a meeting with Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav at Lucknow, when Tejashwi seemingly lurked around, like a shadow, even as he also participated in the discussions that Nitish held with them.
Nitish, with Tejashwi sitting at the other end, addressed press conference at Kolkata and Lucknow with Mamata and Akhilesh. At Kolkata, Mamata, like a patronising 'bua', asked Tejashwi, if he would also say anything.
Tejashwi was quick to reply: "No, no, whatever had to be told has been said."
Reacting to Nitish-Tejashwi's meeting with Mamata and Akhilesh on Monday, Union minister and BJP functionary R K Singh said Nitish will hand over the chair of Bihar CM to Tejashwi and this exercise is being done to pursue such plans.
"It is all drama of Nitish ji. In my personal opinion, Nitish made a commitment when he came to power again with RJD and Congress that he will be there as CM for probably one or one-and-a-half years and hand over the baton to Tejashwi. Now there must be pressure from RJD that his time is over. Thus, he is doing all this exercise to show that he is working at national level, so he is handing over the chair of CM to Tejashwi. Take it from me, in another two to three months, Nitish will do the same," Singh said.
Indeed, it is assumed that once Nitish's bid for opposition unity gets momentum and also begins to succeed, he might be made national convener to forge not just opposition unity but also cement the bond and bonding among the leaders concerned. In such a case, Nitish might have to give full time to it and, thereby, quit the post of Bihar CM, making the way for Tejashwi to take the mantle. The state and central BJP leaders are aware of it and, in fact, want it to happen that way, sources said. Observers feel it is for this reason that the saffron party leaders of all stock and hues have been attacking Nitish, sparing Tejashwi.
A silent Tejashwi moving around with Nitish presented all the proper optics that seemed to have a bearing on the future -- rather, he becoming the CM. For the sake of record, while Nitish has maintained that he is personally not working to become PM, Tejashwi has similarly stated that he is not in a hurry to become CM.