Trust broken, Congress feels coalition in Bihar all but over

NEW DELHI: The Congress central leadership feels the trust quotient — political and personal — in Bihar’s JD(U)-RJD-Congress coalition is badly dented after chief minister Nitish Kumar’s “seemingly pre-determined” three actions — backing the Centre’s demonetisation, supporting BJP’s presidential candidate and attending the Central Hall function to mark the GST rollout — which, were not only in conflict with his two other allies but also amounted to handing out public snubbing to them. As the Congress leaders along with RJD camp conclude the honeymoon of the Bihar coalition is clearly over, the question they now face is how long this “loveless-marriage” can go on and, or more precisely, which side will make the first call to notify the divorce.

For all the stage-managed efforts of the coalition partners to underplay the brewing crisis within, the Congress camp reads a pattern and also a repeat of history in Kumar’s actions.

“Before Nitish Kumar ending JD(U)’s stint with BJP-led NDA, he had first backed UPA’s presidential candidate, then he projected a personal clash with Narendra Modi just — as he is letting some JD(U) leaders to lament about their recent discomfort with Congress and RJD in the coalition.

So, the next logical step should be to script a justification for returning to BJP as JD (U) can’t thrive without a prop. So, should we wait for that in the name of coalition compulsions or, begin guarding against more humiliations”, said a senior AICC functionary in anonymity.

The Congress now also wonders whether Kumar’s recent (unpublicised) break with AAP when JD(U) fielded candidates in MCD polls to the merry of BJP, as well Kumar venturing out to tie up with Hardik Patel for Gujarat polls, as part of the same pattern.

The Congress says the most accurate public articulation of the inner feeling of leadership was reflected in what Ghulam Nabi Azad said a week ago —“People who believe in one principle make one decision, but those who believe in many principles make different decisions.”

As Congress leadership has started buying time to look at the future options, Azad has started tactically underplaying the coalition crisis.

But another senior party leader summed what the party thinks: “We are used to dealing with bickering within coalitions. But what Nitish doing, leading a coalition that came on anti-BJP plank and then collaborating with the Modi regime is an entirely different issue. This leaves us the dilemma of dealing with a situation that amounted to sleeping with the enemy”.

Underplaying the crisis may be an immediate tactical ploy as Congress knows the countdown has started for the final showdown in Bihar coalition.