Picture Courtesy : NewsX
The Janata Dal (United) on Saturday passed a resolution to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) during the party’s national executive meeting chaired by leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Party general secretary K C Tyagi confirmed that JD(U) under Nitish will become part of the NDA.
According to Indian Express report, The move comes weeks after Kumar broke ties with the Grand Alliance parties, Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), in the state and re-formed the government with the support of the BJP. The trio had initially come together ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections in 2015 to counter the BJP.
Security has been beefed up outside Kumar’s residence where the meeting is being held, as supporters of Sharad Yadav and the RJD gather holding placards and shouting slogans against the Chief Minister. There were even reports of clash between supporters of rival JD(U) factions outside CM’s residence.
Ahead of the meeting, party general secretary K C Tyagi had confirmed: “The national executive will also give its consent to the invitation of BJP president Amit Shah to JD(U) to join the NDA.” Kumar had called on Shah at the latter’s residence in New Delhi last Saturday and extended an invitation to join the folds of the NDA. Tyagi had added that during the meeting, leaders would also seal approval of the Bihar unit’s decision to exit the Grand Alliance and join hands with BJP in the state.
Now that the formality of entering the NDA has been completed, the JD(U) may even get a cabinet berth, or two, at the Centre. A reshuffling of the portfolios in the union cabinet is in order due to the resignations of Manohar Parrikar (who became Goa CM) and Venkaiah Naidu (who became the Vice President) and the death of Anil Madhav Dave, the Environment and Forests Minister.
Meanwhile, rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav holding a ‘Jan Adalat’ meeting in Patna today as well. He arrived in Patna earlier today and was received by slogans in support of his faction and against Kumar. Yadav claims his faction of the party is the genuine unit. The rift between Kumar and Yadav emerged after the latter’s decision to ally with the state BJP, which Yadav had contested.
Ahead of the meet, Tyagi had also claimed: “When more than 90 per cent MPs, MLAs and office-bearers of the party in Bihar are with Nitish Kumar, how can one or two people rebelling against the party’s decision cause a split?”
