The compromise formula being worked out between the warring JD(U) and RJD in Bihar is expected to involve two things — the sacking of scam-tainted Tejaswi Yadav, the State’s Deputy CM and Lalu Prasad’s son, and his replacement with another member of Lalu’s family.
Reports of the possible appointment of Lalu’s daughter Rohini in Tejaswi’s place circulated on Friday.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, a third albeit junior partner in Bihar’s Grand Alliance, has reportedly spoken to both JD(U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo Lalu.
The Congress’s mediation had been openly sought, especially from the JD(U)’s side, and the Gandhis have indeed stepped in.
“We need a sane voice, a third party to mediate and calm tempers. Soniaji is the ideal person,” JD(U) MP KC Tyagi told BusinessLine .
Lalu, who has been in Ranchi for a court appearance in the fodder scam which has recently been reopened, came back to Patna on Friday evening. Nitish has given him an ultimatum till Saturday night to withdraw his son, who has been named in a CBI FIR pertaining to the award of contracts in return for land, from the Bihar Cabinet.
While some in the party talked about the appointment of Rohini in the Cabinet, what looks certain is that Nitish will not back down till Tejaswi quits. “He (Nitish) is the cleanest politician in India. He has never tolerated corruption and he is not about to start now. He would rather resign himself,” Tyagi said.
However, in a tweet, Tejaswi made it clear that he is not resigning. “In the name of sources, a section of media is spreading lies that I am resigning. I am laughing at such lies as news,” he said, according to reports.
Meanwhile, brinkmanship continued on both sides, with the RJD putting up a brave front in the face of the crisis.
The party’s Bihar unit chief Ram Chandra Purve asserted that the RJD has more MLAs in the Assembly than the JD(U), and it needs to be shown due respect. In the 243-seat Bihar Assembly, the RJD has 80 seats, the JD(U) 71 and the Congress 27.
The JD(U)’s local leaders responded by demanding that it is the RJD that “needs to stay within limits”. “Be within limits and come clean on accusations (against Tejaswi) at the earliest,” said party leader Sanjay Singh.
JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said those against whom accusations have been levelled should explain the source of their property “to silence the opposition”.
His colleague Sunil Singh echoed similar views and made it clear that the party would in no circumstance compromise with the “clean image” of Nitish, pointing out that the CM is known for his “politics of principles and zero tolerance to corruption”.