File picture
Patna:
Nitish Kumar is in a sweet spot. He gets to choose whether he will part ways with the BJP and start cosying up with an eager Congress, or then just keep status quo.
Mr Kumar is not telling yet and one way to know how he is inclined at the moment is to track his statement of the day. Today, the Bihar Chief Minister stressed the importance of a beehive saying, "Where will you get honey if there is no beehive?"
Political watchers reckon that meant Congress number 2 Rahul Gandhi's allegory of India as a beehive had found favour with Mr Kumar, who also pointed out that honey "has many good properties and Bihar produces the most honey."
Mr Gandhi had likened India to a "beehive buzzing with the energy and aspirations of a billion people" when he addressed corporate India last week.
That Mr Gandhi's theory drew sharp criticism from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, could also have influenced Mr Kumar, who makes no bones about his antipathy to the BJP leader.
It is Mr Modi's growing stature within his party and the possibility that the BJP could pick him as its candidate for prime minster in the 2014 general elections, that has put a strain on the party's ties with one of its oldest allies and Mr Kumar's party, the JD(U). The two partner in governing Bihar.
Mr Kumar announced today that his party will meet on April 13 and 14 in Delhi to decide whether to remain a member of the NDA, the national coalition led by the BJP. He also said the top leaders of his party will debate whether the NDA should announce its prime ministerial candidate before the Lok Sabha elections are held.
Mr Kumar is not telling yet and one way to know how he is inclined at the moment is to track his statement of the day. Today, the Bihar Chief Minister stressed the importance of a beehive saying, "Where will you get honey if there is no beehive?"
Political watchers reckon that meant Congress number 2 Rahul Gandhi's allegory of India as a beehive had found favour with Mr Kumar, who also pointed out that honey "has many good properties and Bihar produces the most honey."
Mr Gandhi had likened India to a "beehive buzzing with the energy and aspirations of a billion people" when he addressed corporate India last week.
That Mr Gandhi's theory drew sharp criticism from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, could also have influenced Mr Kumar, who makes no bones about his antipathy to the BJP leader.
It is Mr Modi's growing stature within his party and the possibility that the BJP could pick him as its candidate for prime minster in the 2014 general elections, that has put a strain on the party's ties with one of its oldest allies and Mr Kumar's party, the JD(U). The two partner in governing Bihar.
Mr Kumar announced today that his party will meet on April 13 and 14 in Delhi to decide whether to remain a member of the NDA, the national coalition led by the BJP. He also said the top leaders of his party will debate whether the NDA should announce its prime ministerial candidate before the Lok Sabha elections are held.
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