'Traitors Conspired Against Him': Nitish's Rajya Sabha Move Sparks Consternation Among JDU Workers

Patna: Tempers ran high, tears flowed, and slogans of protest rent the air outside chief minister Nitish Kumar’s official 1 Aney Marg residence on the lazy day after Holi celebrations on Thursday as people, especially Janata Dal United (JDU) supporters, assembled there in shock and disbelief.

They squatted at the entrance of Nitish’s residence to express their support and ask him to take back his decision to quit the chief minister’s post and go to the Rajya Sabha. They shouted slogans against "traitors" in the JDU, as well as senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Nitish would file his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls at the Bihar Legislative Assembly, and Amit Shah, who arrived in Patna in the afternoon, will accompany him.

The crowd would have been larger, but for the police and district administration cordoning off all roads leading to the chief minister’s residence and stopping the common people. A sizeable number of police personnel were deployed at all important crossroads, roundabouts and turnings to check any untoward incident or law and order situation.

The sentiments flared further as Nitish wrote about his wish to go to the Upper House of the Parliament and professed full support to the new government that would be formed. People remembered the work done by him took refuge in various conspiracy theories.

Waiving a flag of JDU, Amit Singh of Sheikhpura locality in the state capital said, "We are here to protest the change in the government. Nitish has done so much for Bihar. Influenced by his work, I left my job as a software engineer in Pune and returned to Patna to run a business. He should take back his decision to go to the Rajya Saba."

Several members of the Yuva JDU (youth wing of the JDU) had arrived from Gaya district with the hope that their presence would make Nitish reconsider his decision.

"The Assembly election mandate was for Nitish as the chief minister. People voted to keep him as the chief minister. It seems some traitors in the party have conspired against him. We are not happy with what is going on," Gaya unit president of Yuva JDU, Satish Patel, said.

Similarly, Sanjay Kumar, a coaching institute owner in Kurji locality had come to express solidarity with the chief minister and his views against any change in the government.

"Extortionists and criminals prevailed in Bihar till 2005. I was a victim of it. Very few students came to my institute, but the situation changed after Nitish became the chief minister. Rangdari (extortion) stopped and boys and girls started coming to study. There is no leader of his stature in Bihar. He must stay at the helm of affairs here," Sanjay said.

A large number of JDU workers gathered at the party headquarters in Patna to protest Nitish’s decision. They raised vociferous slogans and talked about launching an agitation to force him to stay as the chief minister.

Many party workers stood outside the Legislative Assembly, which was declared out of bounds for the common people.

"Nitish empowered the extremely backward castes (EBC) in Bihar, gave them a voice and a say in the government. He changed the political landscape of the state and indulged in development-oriented politics. We are sad that he is quitting as the chief minister and are praying that he does a rethink on his decision," said Gulab Thakur of Rani Tol village in Samastipur district.

Gulab asserted that the JDU leaders and party workers had an inkling about the change since the day Nitish let go of the home department and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Samrat Choudhary became the state home minister.

Asked about Nitish’s son Nishant Kumar joining the JDU and speculations that being given the post of a deputy chief minister, Gulab said: “A chief minister is a chief minister. Nobody else can take his place. Besides, Nishant is yet to gain experience in politics."

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