Why is Nitish Kumar's Party Supporting Congress for Leader of Opposition Post

Patna: Former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) today touched off speculation about a possible political realignment in Bihar when it demanded that the position of Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in the Lok Sabha should go to the Congress. (No Leader of the Opposition in the 16th Lok Sabha: Sources)

"In a similar situation in Bihar, the then chief minister Nitish Kumar of our party had given the status of Leader of Opposition to Adbul Bari Siddiqui of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), though his party did not have the numbers to stake its claim on it," JD(U) general secretary K C Tyagi said. (Congress Makes a Pitch for Leader of Opposition's Post)

The JD(U) demand is certain to raise eyebrows, and is being interpreted as part of the attempt by Mr Kumar's party to endear itself to the Congress.

The Congress had spurned the former Bihar chief minister's overtures to forge an alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD for the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress-led UPA government had also refused to act on JD(U)'s demand for granting special category status to Bihar.

In the Lok Sabha elections, JD(U), which was forced to partner with the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Bihar after being rebuffed by the Congress, suffered dramatic reverses, and was reduced to a mere 2 seats. The RJD, contesting the elections in alliance with the Congress, also failed to improve its position, and had to rest content with 4 seats. The Congress, too, fared poorly, winning just two seats.

Narendra Modi's BJP and its allies -Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party-walked away with 31 of the 40 seats in the state.

JD(U) leaders claim that the Muslims, who comprise some 17 per cent of the electorate in Bihar, shifted their allegiance to the RJD after it secured an alliance with the Congress.

By ensnaring the Congress from the RJD, the JD(U) hopes the woo the Muslims backs into the party-fold in time for assembly elections next year.

The Modi government is citing past practices and precedence to build a case for denying the LOP's post to the Congress, which was able to win a mere 44 seats in the Lok Sabha.