
July 31, 2023
In a recent statement, Union minister Ramdas Athawale expressed that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who broke ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last year, remains welcome to rejoin the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at any time. Athawale, who is the Minister of State for Social Justice and a member of the ruling NDA, highlighted Kumar’s past association with the alliance and emphasized his potential to return.
Speaking to PTI, Athawale pointed out that despite the BJP obtaining more seats in the previous Bihar assembly elections, Nitish Kumar was appointed as the Chief Minister. He also took a jab at the opposition’s INDIA alliance, accusing it of having the sole objective of removing Prime Minister Narendra Modi from power.
It should be noted that Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) had parted ways with the BJP and walked out of the NDA in August 2022. Subsequently, he joined forces with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to form a new government. As one of the prominent figures in the INDIA alliance, Nitish Kumar’s reservations about the alliance’s name and internal divisions over key positions have been a matter of discussion.
Despite the reported displeasure of Nitish Kumar during a previous meeting of the opposition alliance, Athawale made it clear that the Bihar Chief Minister can always return to the NDA if he wishes to do so. The INDIA alliance, consisting of 26 parties, has been established to contest the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, Athawale contends that the acronym ‘INDIA’ stands for “Introduction Negative Date Idea Alliance” and believes that its agenda primarily revolves around the slogan “Modi hatao” (remove Modi), while the NDA focuses on the country’s development.
Addressing the dynamics within the opposition parties, Athawale stated that leaders like Uddhav Thackeray from Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are of little significance to Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, and she, in turn, does not contribute much to the opposition’s cause in Maharashtra. He also pointed out the historical animosity between Mamata Banerjee and the Communists.
As political parties gear up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Nitish Kumar’s potential reentry into the NDA could be a significant development. His decision may influence the overall political landscape in Bihar and beyond, considering his standing as a prominent leader in the Indian political arena.
It remains to be seen how the INDIA alliance will address the concerns raised by Nitish Kumar and how other regional and national parties will strategize in their bid to shape the country’s political future. With the elections drawing nearer, political alliances and realignments are likely to be at the forefront of public and political discourse.