Cracks in the NDA ?

A war of words between JD(U) and BJP in Bihar escalated a notch with representatives of both parties hurling barbs at each other, presenting an unseemly spectacle of once fast friends fast turning into foes. Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, who is also considered close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, waded into the cesspool of allegations and counter-allegations, using measured criticism to say that it was really very unpleasant and unfortunate that the national executive committee of the long-time ally JD(U) chose to attack Narendra Modi, a leader viewed by many in BJP as the party’s prime ministerial candidate. “The NDA partners should instead work together to dislodge the corrupt and scam tainted UPA government,” Modi said, repeating the party’s official line. BJP president Rajnath Singh has called a meeting with the core committee of Bihar BJP in New Delhi on April 18. Kumar’s speech at the JD(U)’s national executive at the weekend made plain his opposition to the projection of Modi as BJP’s and therefore NDA’s PM candidate and served notice he could walk out of the alliance. Other JD(U) leaders were more direct and caustic in their criticism of Modi, which has not gone down well with BJP, which has responded tersely to their statements. But as Sushil Modi appeared to tick off his alliance partner, JD(U) too hit back, saying that before them it was Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had expressed his misgivings about the secular credentials of Narendra Modi and that Nitish Kumar had said nothing new. The Bihar chief minister had on Sunday said: “Vajpayee was one leader who ensured that BJP got allies. It was his personality that brought many parties closer to BJP. To run this country, we need someone with Atalji’s stature and thinking. He followed Raj Dharma and asked us to do same.”