New Delhi:
In the game of political one upmanship, it's the turn of BJP's national leaders to talk tough against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
"We are hurt by the return of the money, at the same time we don't want to deprive the people of Bihar from development," said Venkaiah Naidu, senior BJP leader.
After much internal discussion, the BJP has made clear to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar that it will accept no conditions like keeping Narendra Modi out of Bihar, in their alliance.
The party is reported to have made a formal communication to the JD(U) on Wednesday in response to a Nitish demand that the BJP keep its leaders like Gujarat Chief Minister Modi and party General Secretary Varun Gandhi out of the state. They will campaign in Bihar during the elections later this year, the BJP says.
In making things clear, the BJP has also indicated that it is not inclined to pull the plug on their ruling alliance with the JD(U) in the state, though it could not resist taking the high moral ground with an eye on the polls. Venkaiah Naidu said in Delhi, "There is no question of accepting any conditions from anyone. We are deeply hurt, but for the people of Bihar, we cannot stop the development. Our decision will be for people of Bihar."
The "hurt" stems from Nitish Kumar's overt disapproval of Narendra Modi's presence in Bihar for a BJP party meet. Nitish, though a BJP partner for long, has been cultivating an independently secular image and has repeatedly shied away from any association with Modi.
This time Nitish pushed ties with the BJP to the brink by giving vent to his anger over an advertisement showing him holding hands with his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi. (Pics: Nitish-Modi standoff in Bihar)
The BJP is caught between a rock and a hard place. On one side is the recalcitrant partner, on the other, its Chief Minister Modi. Sources say the tough words on Wednesday are meant to pacify Narendra Modi. He's been seen as critical in pushing his party to adopt the no-nonsense stand against Nitish Kumar. But hard reality says there is an election round the corner and the party would like to share some credit with the JD(U)'s Nitish, who is seen as the man who made a marked difference in a state often referred to as India's heart of darkness.
However, the JD(U) refused to be drawn into a war of words on Wednesday, and reacted to Venkaiah Naidu's statement with caution.
The alliance isn't quite breaking now ahead of the state elections, especially as it did well in last year's general elections.
So, on Wednesday both sides tackled the delicate issue in their own face-saving ways. The JD(U) claimed, they hadn't set any conditions to bar Modi.
"We did not set any conditions, so no question of conditions being followed," said Shivanand Tiwari, National Spokesperson, JD(U).
And the BJP claimed that they would decide who campaigns, not Nitish - a stand which allows them to keep Modi and Varun out of the list of Bihar campaigners.
On Tuesday, after failing to resolve the deadlock within the party at a meeting late night, party leaders had asked chief Nitin Gadkari to take a final call. While many in the Bihar BJP unit reportedly voiced their resentment against Nitish Kumar and his "autocratic ways", insisting that the party must not compromise, senior party members pointed to the prudence in not rocking the alliance.
The BJP tone was crisp on Tuesday too when party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said the party favoured continuance of the alliance with the JD(U) for the development of Bihar, but would not compromise on self respect.
The JD(U) seems more than willing to meet to meet the BJP half-way. On Tuesday, Nitish recalled a police team deputed to Surat in Gujarat to investigate the series of ads that had irked him by highlighting Modi on his home turf - where his carefully-guarded secular image is making inroads into the Muslim vote.
The controversy started when BJP put ads during its National Executive meeting in Patna. Many say, the ads were part of an ill-devised marketing campaign launched by the BJP in Bihar last week to commemorate its National Executive meeting. One ad showed Kumar at a rally with Modi. Another highlighted the money donated by Gujarat to Bihar for relief and rehabilitation programs linked to floods in the Kosi region two years ago. (Read: Latest in Modi-Nitish row: Bihar returns Gujarat's Kosi aid)
A furious Nitish declared his permission had not been sought for the ads. On Monday, he followed through on a threat to return Rs 5 crore donated by the Gujarat government for flood relief work. It was in poor taste, he said, to use a calamity to highlight Gujarat's generosity. (Read: Serious problems in BJP-JD(U) alliance in Bihar, say sources)
As the spat became public and louder, it created a vertiginous shift in the understanding between Nitish and his Deputy Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar Modi of the BJP. At an official function on Monday, the two ignored each other. But by Tuesday evening, sources said Modi had agreed to join Nitish on a public tour whose billing as a Vishwas Yatra (trust tour) now carries new significance.
But JD(U) president Sharad Yadav was cautious in his reaction. He said, "An individual does not decide, a party decides. The party has decided that they want to stay with the coalition. Something happened on 12th June that created a rift, and both parties are making efforts to make amends."
All eyes are now on Thursday when the JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav and the BJP 's Nitin Gadkari are expected to address a joint press conference.
So, will that be the ice breaker between the two allies?
(With PTI inputs)
"We are hurt by the return of the money, at the same time we don't want to deprive the people of Bihar from development," said Venkaiah Naidu, senior BJP leader.
After much internal discussion, the BJP has made clear to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar that it will accept no conditions like keeping Narendra Modi out of Bihar, in their alliance.
The party is reported to have made a formal communication to the JD(U) on Wednesday in response to a Nitish demand that the BJP keep its leaders like Gujarat Chief Minister Modi and party General Secretary Varun Gandhi out of the state. They will campaign in Bihar during the elections later this year, the BJP says.
In making things clear, the BJP has also indicated that it is not inclined to pull the plug on their ruling alliance with the JD(U) in the state, though it could not resist taking the high moral ground with an eye on the polls. Venkaiah Naidu said in Delhi, "There is no question of accepting any conditions from anyone. We are deeply hurt, but for the people of Bihar, we cannot stop the development. Our decision will be for people of Bihar."
The "hurt" stems from Nitish Kumar's overt disapproval of Narendra Modi's presence in Bihar for a BJP party meet. Nitish, though a BJP partner for long, has been cultivating an independently secular image and has repeatedly shied away from any association with Modi.
This time Nitish pushed ties with the BJP to the brink by giving vent to his anger over an advertisement showing him holding hands with his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi. (Pics: Nitish-Modi standoff in Bihar)
The BJP is caught between a rock and a hard place. On one side is the recalcitrant partner, on the other, its Chief Minister Modi. Sources say the tough words on Wednesday are meant to pacify Narendra Modi. He's been seen as critical in pushing his party to adopt the no-nonsense stand against Nitish Kumar. But hard reality says there is an election round the corner and the party would like to share some credit with the JD(U)'s Nitish, who is seen as the man who made a marked difference in a state often referred to as India's heart of darkness.
However, the JD(U) refused to be drawn into a war of words on Wednesday, and reacted to Venkaiah Naidu's statement with caution.
The alliance isn't quite breaking now ahead of the state elections, especially as it did well in last year's general elections.
So, on Wednesday both sides tackled the delicate issue in their own face-saving ways. The JD(U) claimed, they hadn't set any conditions to bar Modi.
"We did not set any conditions, so no question of conditions being followed," said Shivanand Tiwari, National Spokesperson, JD(U).
And the BJP claimed that they would decide who campaigns, not Nitish - a stand which allows them to keep Modi and Varun out of the list of Bihar campaigners.
On Tuesday, after failing to resolve the deadlock within the party at a meeting late night, party leaders had asked chief Nitin Gadkari to take a final call. While many in the Bihar BJP unit reportedly voiced their resentment against Nitish Kumar and his "autocratic ways", insisting that the party must not compromise, senior party members pointed to the prudence in not rocking the alliance.
The BJP tone was crisp on Tuesday too when party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said the party favoured continuance of the alliance with the JD(U) for the development of Bihar, but would not compromise on self respect.
The JD(U) seems more than willing to meet to meet the BJP half-way. On Tuesday, Nitish recalled a police team deputed to Surat in Gujarat to investigate the series of ads that had irked him by highlighting Modi on his home turf - where his carefully-guarded secular image is making inroads into the Muslim vote.
The controversy started when BJP put ads during its National Executive meeting in Patna. Many say, the ads were part of an ill-devised marketing campaign launched by the BJP in Bihar last week to commemorate its National Executive meeting. One ad showed Kumar at a rally with Modi. Another highlighted the money donated by Gujarat to Bihar for relief and rehabilitation programs linked to floods in the Kosi region two years ago. (Read: Latest in Modi-Nitish row: Bihar returns Gujarat's Kosi aid)
A furious Nitish declared his permission had not been sought for the ads. On Monday, he followed through on a threat to return Rs 5 crore donated by the Gujarat government for flood relief work. It was in poor taste, he said, to use a calamity to highlight Gujarat's generosity. (Read: Serious problems in BJP-JD(U) alliance in Bihar, say sources)
As the spat became public and louder, it created a vertiginous shift in the understanding between Nitish and his Deputy Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar Modi of the BJP. At an official function on Monday, the two ignored each other. But by Tuesday evening, sources said Modi had agreed to join Nitish on a public tour whose billing as a Vishwas Yatra (trust tour) now carries new significance.
But JD(U) president Sharad Yadav was cautious in his reaction. He said, "An individual does not decide, a party decides. The party has decided that they want to stay with the coalition. Something happened on 12th June that created a rift, and both parties are making efforts to make amends."
All eyes are now on Thursday when the JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav and the BJP 's Nitin Gadkari are expected to address a joint press conference.
So, will that be the ice breaker between the two allies?
(With PTI inputs)
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