Another U-Turn For Nitish? Lalu Yadav Says Doors Remain Open For JDU

New Delhi: In a surprising twist to the Bihar political drama, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav said that he was willing to welcome back his former ally and current rival Nitish Kumar, who had ditched the opposition coalition last month to join hands with the BJP. Lalu Yadav, who had called Nitish Kumar a ‘paltu’ (turncoat) after his sudden switch, told ANI, “(J)ab aayenge toh dekhenge, khula hi rehta hai darwaaza… (When he comes, we will see… door is always open.”

The statement came days after the two veteran leaders met for the first time since the split at the Bihar Assembly, where Lalu Yadav’s party was nominating its Rajya Sabha candidates. The meeting was seen as a sign of thaw in the strained relationship between the two, who have been friends and foes for decades, and have dominated the state’s politics since the 1970s.

However, Nitish Kumar, who is now the chief minister of the BJP-JDU alliance, had made it clear last week that he had no intention of going back to the opposition camp, which he had accused of being corrupt and inefficient.

He had told reporters, “…we (the BJP and the JDU) were together earlier (but) twice I went ‘idhar, udhar (here, there)’. Now I have come (back). I will be there permanently now.”

Lalu Yadav’s son, Tejashwi Yadav, who had served as the deputy chief minister under Nitish Kumar twice, had also lashed out at his former boss during the trust vote this week, and questioned his credibility and morality.

The two leaders, who are often referred to as ‘bada bhai, chhota bhai (big brother, little brother)’ in Bihar, have had a long and complex history of alliance and rivalry, dating back to their days as student activists.

They had parted ways in the post-Mandal era, when they fought bitterly for the backward caste votes, and had reunited in 2013, when they formed the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) with the Congress to take on the BJP.

The Mahagathbandhan had won the 2015 assembly polls, but Nitish Kumar had walked out of it in 2017, after corruption charges were levelled against Lalu Yadav and his family.

He had then rejoined the BJP-led NDA, which he had left in 2013 over Narendra Modi’s prime ministerial candidature.

Last month, Nitish Kumar had once again changed sides, and left the NDA to rejoin the Mahagathbandhan, citing ideological differences with the BJP.

However, within weeks, he had switched back to the NDA, after he was reportedly unhappy with the Congress and the RJD over governance issues, seat-sharing arrangements, and social media attacks. His latest move had triggered a political storm in Bihar, and had exposed the fragility of the opposition unity ahead of the general elections.