Bihar: Will Tejashwi Yadav act Against an RJD MLA for Insulting Nitish Kumar?

Patna: For the first time after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dumped the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), and joined hands with RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Congress and Left parties and formed the Mahagathbandhan government in the state in August last year, a challenge has surfaced before Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav to take action against his party MLA for attacking Nitish Kumar. 

A day after former minister and RJD MLA Sudhakar Singh likened Nitish Kumar to "Shikhandi" (a character of mythology Mahabharata), demand has been growing from Nitish Kumar's party JD-U (Janata Dal-United), RJD and a key ally HAM (Hindustani Awam Morcha) to take action against Sudhakar Singh to ensure the stability of the Mahagathbandhan in the state.

While talking to media persons in Patna on Tuesday, none other than Nitish Kumar said he hardly takes notice of such abusive language against him, but RJD should note what its leaders have been saying. It is an internal matter of RJD, Nitish Kumar further said. 

However, Tejashwi Yadav is yet to break his silence after Sudhakar Singh's remark triggered a new controversy within the ruling Mahagathbandhan. With RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav abroad, Tejashwi Yadav is widely seen as the de facto chief of the party.

However, JD-U appears uncomfortable over Sudhakar Singh's statement and wants Tejashwi Yadav to take notice of it and act against him.

A senior JD(U) leader Upendra Kushwaha, considered close to Nitish Kumar, said, "Mine and Nitish Kumar's DNAs are the same. I will not tolerate abuse against Nitish Kumar, who hundreds of thousands of people have mandated to lead. It is not acceptable; RJD should take action against him."

Kushwaha, chairman of the JD(U)'s parliamentary board, told local media that he had drawn the attention of Tejashwi Yadav to the objectionable language used by Sudhakar Singh against CM Nitish Kumar. Still, the way RJD's official statement played it down by saying that it was a statement of an individual or a personal statement was not expected. 

"Tejashwi Yadav and RJD should take it seriously because such statements are not good and should be discouraged if one is part of a party that is a major ally of Mahagathbandhan. It is not proper to use abusive language despite being a part of the ruling alliance."

But an hour after Kushwaha demanded action against him, Sudhakar Singh reminded Kushwaha that he was raising voices against Nitish Kumar till 2018-19 and declared his wish to oust Nitish Kumar from power in the state.

Sudhakar Singh recalled that Kushwaha's party had likened Nitish Kumar to Shikhandi a few years ago, and after that, Nitish Kumar sought the party's support.

Another senior JD-U leader Sanjay Singh said Sudhakar Singh has been doing all this on the directive from the BJP to create trouble within Mahagathbandhan. 

"RJD should take notice of it and act against him."

Ironically Sudhakar Singh, who happens to be the son of RJD state president Jagdanand Singh, is a known critic of Nitish Kumar, that had cost his cabinet(minister) post in early October last year. Sudhakar Singh is a first-term MLA from Ramgarh in the Kaimur district. Soon after being made Bihar's Agriculture Minister in August 2022, Sudhakar Singh repeatedly targeted Nitish Kumar and alleged rampant corruption in the agriculture department. 

Besides, Sudhakar Singh raised the failure of much-hyped agriculture road maps, a brainchild of Nitish Kumar. He announced that he would try to restore Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act and the 'mandi' system for farmers scrapped in 2006 by the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government.

All this embarrassed Nitish Kumar, and he had reportedly asked his ally RJD to direct Sudhakar Singh to resign.

Sudhakar Singh's father, Jagdanand Singh, is considered a close confidant of ailing RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is currently in Singapore after his successful kidney transplant. Without Lalu Prasad Yadav, it would not be easy for Tejashwi Yadav to pressurise him to take action against Sudhakar Singh.

It was widely reported that Jagdanand Singh was unhappy after his son Sudhakar Singh was forced to resign as a minister. He expressed his reservation by not going to RJD state headquarters for nearly two months and keeping himself away from active politics.

Senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari, a known confidant of Lalu, said that Sudhakar Singh's statement against Nitish Kumar is not good for the health and stability of Mahagathbandhan. Tiwari urged RJD state president Jagdanand Singh to take action against Sudhakar Singh. 

Tiwari recalled that Sudhakar Singh, who had contested polls as BJP candidate, appears to have close relations with saffron party leaders.

"It appears that Sudhakar Singh has made a statement deliberately to create trouble or break Mahagathbandhan".

Former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, whose party HAM is a ruling ally of the Nitish Kumar-led Mahagathbandhan government, also demanded action against Sudhakar Singh for insulting and abusing Nitish Kumar.

"By making such abusive language against the CM, Sudhakar Singh has once again proved that he may be in RJD, but his soul is with the BJP. It is the responsibility of RJD to act against Sudhakar Singh immediately to follow coalition politics."

Interestingly, former deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said that Sudhakar Singh has been speaking against Nitish Kumar and making such statements on instructions of Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is keen to place his son Tejashwi Yadav as the next chief minister.

Modi had repeatedly targeted Sudhakar Singh and sought his removal last August-September from the cabinet, alleging he was accused of embezzling Rs 5.31 crore in the 2013 rice scam.

But when Sudhakar Singh resigned, Modi was the first to claim that his resignation would cause instability in the Mahagathbandhan government in the state. Nothing happened after that.

Political watchers say that Nitish Kumar announced last month that the ruling Mahagathbandhan would contest the 2025 Assembly polls under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav. It is a different matter that BJP leaders have been warning Tejashwi Yadav that Nitish Kumar will never give him a chance to become the next CM as he will not vacate the chair. 

But Nitish Kumar's latest announcement could create more trouble for the BJP, which has been eyeing to make a dent in the Yadav support base of ailing RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. Yadavs are powerful OBCs (Other Backward Classes) that, along with Muslims, Extremely Backward Classes and dalits, make a strong social support base in the state.

At the same time, BJP leaders have warned Nitish Kumar of a serious threat to him from Tejashwi Yadav. BJP has also started raising issues, such as unemployment, for which their party has been under fire across the country.