Bihar recently experienced a significant political upheaval, as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decided to leave the alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav's party, JDU, and return to power with BJP. The pivotal role in this political maneuver was played by Vinod Tawde, the BJP in-charge for Bihar. Tawde revealed the behind-the-scenes account of how Nitish Kumar, who had previously opposed the BJP, was brought back into the BJP fold.
Tawde mentioned that despite 45 of Nitish Kumar's MLAs joining the BJP, 78 of our MLAs also joined, and BJP offered Nitish Kumar the Chief Minister's post. However, at that time, he felt somewhat insecure. During this period, Lalu Prasad Yadav presented a vision to Nitish Kumar, suggesting the formation of an opposition front with Nitish as its leader, potentially positioning him as a prime ministerial candidate. Now, Nitish Kumar understands that he may not be elected as Prime Minister. Nevertheless, if he becomes the face of the opposition, the 2024 election could be contested on that basis. Despite this, Nitish Kumar withdrew his support and turned against the BJP, believing he could easily win the 2025 election, Tawde explained.
The crux of the matter lies in the fact that Mallikarjuna Kharge was appointed as the convener of India Aghadi in a meeting held in Bangalore three months ago. It was then that Nitish Kumar realized he had been manipulated. Subsequently, his perspective changed. Naturally, we attempted to capitalize on this situation and initiated discussions with them. However, they were initially unresponsive. Yet, when Lalu Prasad Yadav attempted to split Nitish Kumar's party, Vinod Tawde alleged that plans were set in motion to install Tejashwi Yadav as Chief Minister, sidelining the MLAs. In an exclusive interview with ABP Majha, Vinod Tawde disclosed the events surrounding the power struggle.
Appointing Tejashwi Yadav as Chief Minister was not in our best interest either. As a political party, our aim is not only to gain power but also to serve the state's interests. If Tejashwi Yadav had become Chief Minister, lawlessness would have prevailed in the state. He did not want us to come to power. We had previously stated that we would not form a coalition, and this cannot be overlooked in politics. Vinod Tawde emphasized that, by constantly evaluating the evolving political landscape, one must adapt and progress with one's convictions.