Nitish Kumar lets colleagues attack Narendra Modi

The sense of unease within JD (U) has grown so much that it has prompted its leaders to openly criticise the Gujarat chief minister. JD(U) spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari took pot shots at Modi for his statement that he had to ‘repay his debt to Mother India.’ “I don’t understand the nuances of what he (Modi) said. Even serving Gujarat is like serving the country.

If Nitish Kumar is serving Bihar, he is also serving the country. But some people are eyeing the throne in New Delhi and may be saying all this as part of larger game plan,” Tiwari said in Patna. The ‘Modi for PM campaign’ in BJP recently prompted even chief minister Nitish Kumar to hint about the uncertainty of his party’s alliance with BJP: “I don’t know what will happen to the alliance in future,” the chief minister had said in the state assembly. However, on Thursday, he sounded more ‘patient’ to a question on his demand for BJP declaring its PM candidate ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. “Has the time come? You will have to wait,” was Kumar’s retort.

While Kumar may be discreet at the moment, he has not stopped his party colleagues from attacking Modi. Apart from Tiwari, JD(U) MP Ali Anwar too trained his guns at Modi for putting in place a ‘weak and ineffective’ Lokayukta in Gujarat. Other JD(U) leaders, including Devesh Chandra Thakur, have also been critical of the Gujarat chief minister in recent times. A leader close to Kumar claimed the remarks of JD(U) leaders were in their personal capacities. “Even though Tiwari is the official spokesperson of the party, many things he says do not have official backing of the party,” the leader claimed.

However, that Kumar has not restrained or admonished his colleagues for their ‘personal remarks,’ which have a direct bearing on the party’s relationship with its most important ally, was not lost on anyone.