Day 332

Now the drama in Indian politics has started to show its colours. For the last six to seven months, the brew was popping up. Now it has boiled up completely. The alliance between BJP and JD (U) has ended yesterday in Bihar. The Chief Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, has submitted the recommendation of removing the eleven ministers of BJP from his cabinet to the Governor of Bihar. It was accepted in late evening. Now a special session has been called of on 19^th June 2012, for the confidence motion. JD (U) has 118 seats and BJP has 91 seats in 243 seated Bihar assembly. For simple majority any party needs 122 seats. This means JD (U) needs just 4 seats to have the simple majority while BJP needs 31 seats. For BJP, it’s a tough job. So they have decided to oppose the confidence motion. There are 4 independent MLAs in the assembly. JD (U) is heavily dependent on them. Congress has 4 seats in the assembly. In my view, they will help JD (U) indirectly by being absent from the assembly on the day of confidence motion. With the split, it has been clear that now the 17 years old alliance has come to its end.

I don't know what to call it. Whether it’s a good thing or bad thing for both the parties. Both of them are saying ideological differences erupted between both of them. The primary reason of this split is the selection of Narendra Modi to the post of chairman of the election committee in BJP. Nitish Kumar has been keeping himself away from Narendra Modi since 2009. This was the reason that he didn’t allow Narendra Modi to attend any election rally in 2009 in Bihar. These days, Nitish Kumar is projecting himself as secular leader who has brought development in Bihar. No doubt that he has brought development in Bihar. Under his leadership, Bihar has achieved more in eight years what it has lost in fifteen years under Laloo-Rabri regime. But people voted him in power in 2005 because he was part of NDA. People looked at him as partner of BJP. But now, the scene has totally changed.

This split is going to harm both the parties. Other parties will try to take undue advantage of this split. The time was to unite to work in favour of NDA. People are fed up with the UPA’s second term. So the time was to show the people that NDA is much better than UPA. That’s why BJP has projected Naredra Modi as their Prime Ministerial candidate. But it failed to hold its greatest ally, JD (U) with it. If Nitish Kumar wouldn’t have gone against Modi then the split would haven’t had happened. In the coming days, the picture will be clearer. Then I’ll be able to express my view on its effect on the national politics.