Patna:
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar returned to Patna this afternoon from a tour and virtually announced that his alliance with the BJP is over.
"It is time to take a decision... conditions are tough now," he said, though he looked relaxed and smiled as he offered an obituary of his partnership. "
Dua dete hai jeene ki, dawa karte hai marne ki (You wish me a long life, but offer medicines that will poison me)." The remark alludes to the BJP's decision to grant VVIP status to
Narendra Modi, which has driven the alliance to break point.
(Read)Sources in his party, the Janata Dal United or JDU say a formal announcement on ending the alliance will be made on Sunday.
Wounded, the BJP has struck back with recriminations. BJP leaders say the JDU is trying to poach their legislators for the trust vote Mr Kumar will have to take after the alliance ends. The JDU is four seats short of a majority.
Sharad Yadav, the JDU president, cautioned this morning, "Don't assume that the alliance is over." But he conceded that the crisis has been stoked by the BJP's recent decision to choose Mr Modi to head its election campaign.
Mr Modi's promotion was also opposed by a faction of BJP big-hitters like LK Advani who worry that the next step will be a prime ministerial nomination for the Gujarat chief minister.
"If the influence of BJP leaders like LK Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee diminishes, that affects us," said Mr Yadav.
The JDU alleges Mr Modi did not do enough to stop hundreds of Muslims from being killed in Gujarat's communal riots of 2002.