Opposition Unity, National Role For Nitish Kumar On Agenda In Two-Day JD(U) Meeting

Opposition unity against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a national role of Nitish Kumar are believed to be the top subjects of discussions in the two-day meeting of Janata Dal (United) in Bihar's Patna. 

The meeting, starting oN Saturday, is also expected to prominently discuss the price rise and unemployment, which have lately been the tools which the Opposition has tried to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. 

The meeting comes in the midst of attempts from JD(U) to project Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and party's de facto leader Nitish Kumar as a national leader and a contender for the post of prime minister in 2024 general elections. The speculation has been fuelled by the coming up posters in Patna with slogans like "Pradesh mein dikha, desh mein dikhega (it has been seen in the state, now it will be seen across the country).

The slogans also pitch Nitish squarely against Modi by directly targeting him. One slogan says "Jumla nahin, haqeeqat" and another says "mann ki nahin, kaam ki", mocking Modi's knack for well-worded promises and his "Mann ki Baat" radio program. 

Moreover, "Desh ka neta kaisa ho, Nitish Kumar jaisa ho (the country's leader should be like Nitish Kumar)" was the slogan that was raised when Nitish visited the venue of the meeting, appearing to sum up the mood among the party cadre. 

"On the one hand, we have a leadership that offers outlandish promises of ache din (better days), two lakh jobs per year and Rs 15 lakh into every bank account which are later dismissed by the then president of the very party as a jumla (rhetoric). On the other hand, we have Nitish Kumar who has walked the talk, be it on prohibition or on rural electrification," Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, national secretary of the JD(U), told PTI.

"The recent development in Bihar has set the tone for a political change nationally. The meetings of Saturday and Sunday will come out with a roadmap that would underscore the role to be played by Janata Dal (United) in this backdrop," said Prasad.

However, the JD(U) knows that no major party, except its Bihar ally Rashtriya Janata Dal, has backed such a call so far. Though the Left has acknowledged that with five decades of political experience behind him, Nitish will play an important role in forging a united front to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) juggernaut.  

Although not claiming to be not keen on the top post, Nitish has nonetheless made it clear that he was serious about fostering Opposition unity and was telephonically in touch with many anti-BJP players.

However, the Opposition does not appear to be on the same page regarding Nitish. As when faced with the question at a press meet, K Chandrasekhara Rao skirted it and repeatedly snubbed Nitish who urged him to leave the meet but KCR continued to field journalists' questions amid roars of laughter.

However, KCR did hail Nitish as "one of the best and senior-most leaders" in the country.

JD(U) national general secretary Afaque Ahmed Khan said around 110 party leaders from across the country, including presidents from its 26 state units, will attend the national executive meeting on Saturday, adding that more than 250 party leaders will attend the national council on Sunday. Nitish is expected to address the conclave on both days.

The JD(U) meeting also comes at a moment of a setback for Nitish and JD(U). Five of the six JD(U) MLAs in Manipur merged with the BJP in the state assembly on Friday, leading to a war of words between the BJP and JD(U) leaders. 

Interestingly, one of the slogans doing the rounds for Kumar at the JD(U) office is "raja nahin fakir hai, desh ki taqdeer hai". Keen observers of Indian politics may recall the slogan, which became popular when VP Singh was locked in a David versus Goliath battle with the Congress.

It remains to be seen how far the similarities with the bygone era go. 

(With PTI inputs)