After Bihar ruling party Janata Dal (United) was ignored in the Union Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad mocked JD(U) president and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
On July 26, Mr. Kumar snapped ties with the RJD and joined hands with the BJP to form an NDA government in Bihar.
Addressing journalists at his residence in Patna, Mr. Prasad said: “One who betrays his own people won’t be accepted by others.” His younger son and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav too took a dig at the JD(U).
State BJP leaders said, “Lalu Prasad and his family should mind their own business.”
Speculation was rife in the State political corridors that a close aide of Mr. Kumar and party Rajya Sabha MP, R.C.P. Singh, would get an important portfolio, while a junior ministerial berth would go either to party MP Santosh Kushwaha or Ram Nath Thakur. But, on Saturday evening, Mr. Kumar said he had no information about the JD(U) joining the Union Cabinet.
“Nitish Kumar is travelling in two boats and gets caught by his own cleverness…some of his party leaders had even got new kurta-payjama and Bundi (jacket) for the swearing-in ceremony. But the invitation did not come,” said Mr. Prasad.
“Why should Prime Minister Modi or BJP president Amit Shah consult Nitish Kumar when they know about his character of a betrayer?...JD(U) was not even consulted before the reshuffle,” Mr. Prasad said.
Mr. Prasad said: “The BJP might have got an inkling that Nitish Kumar was pushing hard to poach some Congress MLAs in Bihar to improve his tally in the NDA government here, and so they dumped him to keep him within his limits.”
It is said that altogether 14 of the 27 Congress MLAs in Bihar were ready to join the Nitish Kumar government. Party chief Sonia Gandhi had recently summoned some top State party leaders to Delhi to prevent a possible break-up in the State unit.
Mr. Tejaswi Yadav too took a dig at JD(U). “We can just pray and wish for his [Nitish Kumar] political well-being in the NDA. Hope he finds a better place next time. My sincere wishes and sympathy,” he tweeted.
Senior State BJP leader and Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said, “Lalu Prasad should mind his own business… even at his rally Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BSP chief Mayawati were not present.”
Meanwhile, political observers of the State told The Hindu that the JD(U), which has two Lok Sabha members was offered one ministerial berth by the BJP leadership but it insisted on two. At the last moment, the party was kept out as another NDA ally, the Shiv Sena, which has more MPs in the Lok Sabha than the JD(U) raised objections and claimed one more berth in the Cabinet.
“The JD(U) may find a place in the Union Cabinet later,” said political observer Ajay Kumar.
