By Manoj Pathak
Patna, Feb 16 (IANS) A round of political speculations has begun in Bihar following a flurry of meetings involving political leaders.
It’s been only a few days since Lok Janshakti Party’s (LJP) only MLA in the state Rajkumar Singh met senior leader of Janata Dal(United) (JDU) and minister Ashok Chaudhary. Now, meetings between LJP MP Chandan Kumar Singh and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and between Communist Party of India leader Kanhaiya Kumar and Chaudhary, have raised political temperatures in the state.
The LJP is a fierce opponent of the JDU in the state.
Speculation is on the rise following these meetings and clarifications from parties have failed to put an end to the discussions.
The meeting between JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and JDU working president and building construction minister Chaudhary has set tongues wagging. This is being looked at from various angles. Both leaders have also posed for photographs with friends and held long discussions.
The JDU is constantly working to increase its political clout. This is the reason that Bahujan Samaj Party’s only MLA Jama Khan has been awarded with a ministerial post after entering the Chief Minister’s party, and Independent MLA Sumit Singh is holding a minister’s chair after joining the party.
It must be quoted here that Kanhaiya is a big face for the Left that had tasted success in the Assembly elections held last year. The Left contested the last Assembly elections along with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). In such a situation, even though this meeting is being described as formal, there are rumours about it.
Kanhaiya’s meeting has become special because the party has recently passed a resolution condemning him. It is being said that many party leaders are also against him.
LJP MP Chandan Kumar, too, attended Nitish Kumar’s ‘Darbar’ on Monday and there was a long discussion between the two leaders. After this meeting, the MP may have said that he has met the Chief Minister on the problems of the area, but many things are beginning to be intepreted.
LJP spokesman Ashraf Ansari, while clarifying about his MP’s meeting with the Chief Minister, said that he would have met the Chief Minister regarding the development work in his constituency. He said that the LJP is united and political interpretations should not be made.
JDU President R.C.P. Singh said that JDU is the only party in which if you have merit and ability to work hard, you can get any post. He even said that he is appealing to all the youth to join the JDU.
The Opposition, however, is also uneasy following these meetings. RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said that even if someone is meeting the Chief Minister regarding his region’s problems, it is being seen as breaking the party, which is wrong.
However, despite clarifications being made, Jama Khan and Sumit Singh joined the JDU following similar meetings. Now, after meetings between Rajkumar Singh and Chaudhary as well as between LJP MP Chandan Kumar and the Chief Minister, there is speculation that the JDU is targeting the LJP’s ‘lamp’ with its ‘arrow’. However, it is too early to conclude anything with certainty.
(Manoj Pathak can be reached at [email protected])
–IANS
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