Rahul Gandhi, Nitish Kumar discuss Bihar alliance rift

New Delhi: In an attempt to keep the grand alliance in Bihar intact amid the ongoing rift between the JD-U) and the RJD, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had a 40-minute meeting with chief minister Nitish Kumar in New Delhi on Saturday.

Mr Kumar visited the Tughlaq Lane residence of the Congress leader and, according to sources, shared his concern over the continuation of Bihar deputy chief minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son, Tejashwi Yadav, in the state Cabinet since the CBI has registered an FIR against him on corruption charge. 

The JD(U) has demanded that Tejashwi Yadav should either come clean with a detailed response to the ongoing investigations by multiple agencies on graft charges against him, or resign.

Later in the evening, Mr Kumar also attended the farewell dinner for President Pranab Mukherjee hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A few days ago, Mr Gandhi had a telephonic conversation with Mr Kumar and invited him to Delhi for talks following reports of differences between the JD(U) and RJD over graft charges against Lalu Yadav and his family members.

The meeting between Mr Gandhi and Bihar chief minister is being viewed as an attempt to save the grand alliance from breaking and preventing the BJP from acquiring a prominent role in Bihar by supporting the JD(U).

The JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance has 178 members in the 243-member Bihar Assembly. The RJD has 80 seats, the JD(U) has 71 members and the Congress has 27 MLAs. The BJP has 58 MLAs in the House.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad has so far ruled out any possibility of Tejashwi Yadav stepping down from the post of deputy chief minister. Mr Kumar has expressed serious reservations on Tejashwi Yadav continuing in the government, fearing that his presence in the Cabinet would impact his clean image.

The difference between the alliance partners were also visible during the recent presidential elections when Mr Kumar ignored the RJD’s stand and supported NDA’s candidate, now President-elect Ram Nath Kovind.

The RJD backed the combined Opposition’s candidate, Meira Kumar.

Lalu Yadav and his family members have been facing heat from prosecuting agencies and mounting pressure from Mr Kumar to come clean.

The RJD chief and his family members were booked by the CBI earlier this month for alleged corruption in award of contracts for two railway hotels when he was railway minister. The probe agency searched over a dozen properties belonging to the RJD chief and his family members.

Lalu Yadav’s daughter Misa Bharti has been chargesheeted by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a separate Rs 8,000 crore money laundering case. Ms Bharti’s properties in Delhi were also searched by the agency.