Bihar Chief Minister and president of Janata Dal (United) Nitish Kumar on Thursday broke his silence over party leader Pawan Varma’s attack on him and said “if he wants to go to some other party, he has my wishes”.
Mr. Varma recently wrote a two-page letter to Mr. Kumar asking him how the JD(U) could strike an electoral alliance with the BJP beyond Bihar. Adding that he was “deeply perplexed” over the development, Mr. Varma had also mentioned about “private conversations” he had with Mr. Kumar on ties with the BJP.
“This is not the way to express your displeasure…it is surprising…he (Mr. Varma) says I’ve told him certain things…should I tell you what he had told me?”, Mr. Kumar told journalists, while adding, “If he (Mr. Varma) wants to go to some other party, which is his decision…he has my wishes”. Mr. Kumar was emerging out of a function organised at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on the occasion of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’ anniversary.
Earlier on January 21, while shooting off the letter to Mr. Kumar, Mr. Varma had sought “ideological clarity” on the JD(U)’s electoral alliance with BJP, “especially at a time when the BJP, through the CAA-NPR-NRC combine, has embarked on a massive socially divisive agenda”.
He also had reminded Mr. Kumar of his confession to him on more than one occasion about his “grave apprehensions” over the BJP-RSS combine.
"BJP is leading India into a ‘dangerous space’”
“In my first meeting with you in Patna in August 2012 you had spoken to me at length and with conviction on why Narendra Modi and his policies are inimical for the country… when you were leading the Mahagathbandhan you had openly made a call for RSS Mukt Bharat…these views articulated for a sustained period, are a matter of public record”, wrote Mr. Varma, who recently also wrote to Mr. Kumar urging him not to support the CAA, NRC and NPR in the State.
“I remember your confession to me in private how the current leadership in BJP party has humiliated you. You maintained on more than one occasion, that the BJP is leading India into a ‘dangerous space’”, Mr. Varma further said in his letter to Mr. Kumar, while adding, “the BJP is destroying institutions and that there is a need for democratic and socialist forces within the country to regroup, a task for which you actually assigned a senior party official”.
Recently, the JD(U) struck an electoral alliance with the BJP to contest the Delhi Assembly poll, scheduled on February 8, from two seats – Burari and Sangam Vihar.
Action likely
Meanwhile, party source told The Hindu that Mr. Kumar may take action against Mr. Varma and Prashant Kishor, who have of late been hammering him with tweets and letters, on January 27, when he would meet party leaders at his official residence, 1 Anne Marg.
Earlier, State JD(U) chief Basistha Narayan Singh too had said he would urge Mr. Kumar to take action against these party leaders.
