Comments
Denting the NDA ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections, JD(U) today dumped BJP in Bihar in protest against the elevation of Narendra Modi, bringing to an end a 17-year-old alliance that had held firm through thick and thin in national politics.
Heading the eight-year-old coalition in the State, JD (U), which does not need BJP support to run the Government, removed 11 BJP ministers from the State Cabinet and decided to seek a vote of confidence on June 19 in view of the “new situation”.
Today’s development is a major jolt to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which is now left with only three constituents – BJP, Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
Before the 2009 general elections, BJD had dumped BJP in Odisha opposing the saffron force’s hand in communal violence in the State.
The BJP reacted to the development saying it was “sad and unfortunate” but contended that this was “not the end of the world” and that more allies will come to NDA.
JD(U) President Sharad Yadav and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced the break up of the coalition at a press conference, exactly a week after Modi was made the BJP’s campaign committee chairman, which was widely perceived as just a step short of being made the prime ministerial candidate. Yadav also quit as Convenor of the NDA. “We cannot compromise with our basic principles. We are not worried about the consequences. As long as the alliance was Bihar-centric, there was no problem. But we had no alternative now. We are not responsible. We were forced to take this decision.
“The BJP is going through a new phase. As long as there was no external interference in the Bihar alliance, it ran smoothly. Problems began whenever there was external interference,” Kumar said without taking the name of Modi even once in the half-an-hour press conference but making several barbs aimed at him.
Though JD(U)’s decision comes a week after Modi’s elevation in Goa, the party’s National Council had a few months ago set a deadline of December asking BJP to name its Prime Ministerial candidate.
The party has made its aversion to Modi explicitly clear on a number of occasions.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.