In the midst of the ongoing political upheaval in Bihar following comments made by RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter, Rohini Acharya, against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, JD(U) leader KC Tyagi clarified on Thursday that the I.N.D.I.A bloc remains stable. Addressing the issue, Tyagi stated, "I.N.D.I.A gathbandhan (alliance) salamat hai (I.N.D.I.A bloc is safe). Everything is fine with the alliance," he was quoted as saying news agency ANI.
Responding to questions regarding Nitish Kumar's remarks on dynastic politics and Rohini Acharya's tweet, Tyagi commented, "Baccho ke comments par hum comment nahi karte (We do not comment on children's comments). Nitish Kumar's remarks were neither directed at Lalu Yadav nor Sonia Gandhi. He was merely being appreciative of the lifelong efforts of Karpoori Thakur to ensure social justice".
RJD Claims Lalu's Daughter Targeted PM Modi, Not Nitish:
The RJD asserted on Thursday that controversial social media posts by Rohini Acharya were aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and not Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.
RJD spokesman Shakti Yadav made this statement outside 10, Circular Road, the government bungalow allotted to Acharya's mother Rabri Devi, a former CM. "Comments made in another context are withdrawn when vested interests use these for political purposes," said Yadav, addressing the deleted posts in which Acharya mentioned no leader by name, news agency PTI reported.
Screenshots of the deleted posts, in Hindi, have circulated on social media. One post spoke of "those who are ideologically adrift, claim to be the champions of socialism." This was interpreted as an indirect attack on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, the RJD's ally, who had criticized "dynasty politics" a day ago.
BJP leader Nikhil Anand demanded an apology from Acharya for insulting the CM, a former ally. The RJD spokesperson insisted that Acharya targeted "those who pretend to be champions of the poor," as per the PTI report.
Despite references to Modi's promises, the RJD spokesperson refrained from mentioning the PM by name. He asserted that the Nitish Kumar government, where RJD supremo's son Tejashwi Yadav is the Deputy CM, "will last its full term, and the Lok Sabha election results will be a step towards wiping out the BJP in Bihar".
Yadav accused "BJP and media houses sympathetic to it" of making "hypothetical" predictions about the government's fall and Kumar's return to the BJP-led NDA, which JD(U) quit less than two years ago, the PTI report said.
He dismissed speculations that Lalu Prasad has asked party members to prepare for an upheaval. Rumors also circulated about JD(U) ministers calling on the CM, but minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary stated, "This should make it amply clear that no crisis has befallen the government". He dismissed speculations around the Bihar BJP chief's Delhi visit, emphasising routine interactions between party leaders, according to the report.