Former Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan on Sunday asserted that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s presence at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s Iftar feast was a proverbial straw in the wind, which could have wide political ramifications.
Mr. Paswan, who now heads a faction of the party headed by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, also insisted that Mr. Kumar moving to a house other than his official bungalow, for renovation purposes, was “not as simple as it seems”.
“We all get our houses renovated. But when did we last see somebody moving out with all belongings, including cattle?” questioned Mr. Paswan, when asked about Kumar having shifted to 7, Circular Road, adjacent to the CM’s official residence at 1, Anne Marg.
Mr. Paswan, who has for some time been in news for his vitriolic attacks on Kumar, which has led to his virtual ostracism from the NDA, came in limelight when on Friday he greeted the chief minister by touching his feet at the Iftar hosted by Mr. Yadav, the leader of the opposition.
Mr. Kumar, however, had on Saturday made it clear that said his presence at the Iftar party had "nothing to do with politics" and he attended it since he was invited.
“We all attend such events. My presence has nothing to do with politics at all. Since I was invited to the function, I attended,” he told reporters. Nonetheless, Mr. Kumar’s presence at the event fueled speculations in political circles.
In a sign of bonhomie in the ruling coalition, the chief minister had Saturday welcomed Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah at the Jayprakash Narayan International Airport. Mr. Shah was in Bihar to attend a programme honouring the Revolt of 1857 hero Veer Kunwar Singh.
Recalling the Iftar event, Mr. Paswan underscored the significance of Mr. Kumar “walking down” and not travelling by a vehicle to reach the house of Mr. Yadav, who incidentally stays at a stone’s throw.
“I can vouch for the significance of a big leader walking down to the house of another political figure. I recall Sonia Gandhi once having walked down to the house of my father and it was followed by the latter becoming a part of the Congress-led UPA,” he said.
Mr. Paswan senior, significantly, had remained with the UPA until siding with the NDA ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, surprising many with the move since he had resigned from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet over the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Mr. Paswan, who had launched a rebellion against Kumar calling himself a Lord Hanuman-like loyalist of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been betraying subtle hints of disappointment with the NDA, and claimed “all is not well” in the ruling coalition.
He said Mr. Kumar has had a history of taking sharp political turns, be it his snapping old ties with the BJP over Narendra Modi’s elevation, subsequent joining of hands with arch rival Lalu Prasad’s RJD, only to dump it and form a new government with the NDA.
“If we see recent history, Kumar has never been on the same page with the BJP. He has taken diametrically opposite stands on issues like population law and the Pegasus snooping case. He has been snubbed on matters like special status for Bihar and caste census, which he holds dear,” Mr. Paswan pointed out.
“So, it seems that all the recent acts of the CM, whose visit at the Iftar took place less than 24 hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s Bihar tour, is part of a script that has been in the making and the climax of which shall be there for all to see,” Mr. Paswan claimed.
