Proposal to make Nitish Kumar convener came up at INDIA meet, says close aide
Patna, Jan 14: A close aide of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday confirmed that a "proposal" to make the JD(U) president convener of the INDIA bloc came up at the meeting of coalition leaders through virtual mode.
JD(U) national general secretary Sanjay Kumar Jha, however, said Kumar had "so far not given approval" to the offer which will be deliberated upon within the party even as he claimed that the Bihar CM was in favour of a Congress leader becoming the chairperson.
"Yes, there was a proposal (prastaav aaya tha)", said Jha, who has been accompanying Kumar to all meetings of the alliance, when journalists approached him with queries outside the chief minister's residence.
"The CM has so far not given his approval to the proposal", he said, adding "we will let you know after discussing the matter within the party".
The JD(U) leader dismissed suggestions that Kumar was upset over the in-principle decision to make Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge the chairperson of the recently formed alliance.
"On the contrary, it was our honourable CM himself who had suggested that someone from the Congress head the coalition", claimed Jha.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad scoffed at the turn of events in the INDIA bloc which was formed last year following Nitish Kumar's efforts to bring together parties opposed to the ruling NDA at the Centre.
"Nitish babu reminds me of the Urdu verse bade beabru hokar tere kuche se ham nikle (it was in utter disgrace that I was made to exit your place)", said Prasad, who is also the MP from Patna Sahib.
He also remarked, "Let an SIT be formed to investigate who gave assent, who refused and who quarreled (kisne inkar kiya, kine ikrar kiya, kisne takrar kiya) at the meeting. Even by a long shot, they have no chance of forming the next government. But look at the huge conflict of interest".
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
