At quiet meeting with Nitish Kumar, BJP gives a firm assurance, has a request - Hindustan Times
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At quiet meeting with Nitish Kumar, BJP gives a firm assurance, has a request

May 08, 2022 01:58 AM IST

Senior BJP leader Dhamendra Pradhan is learnt to have given Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar a firm assurance that the BJP will not do anything to disturb the present NDA set-up in Bihar

PATNA: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and union minister Dharmendra Pradhan has reached out to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar during his quiet visit to the state to smooth the rough edges of the Janata Dal (United)-BJP partnership.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had a long meeting with union minister and senior BJP leader Dharmandra Pradhan during his recent visit to Patna (HT File Photo/Santosh Kumar)
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had a long meeting with union minister and senior BJP leader Dharmandra Pradhan during his recent visit to Patna (HT File Photo/Santosh Kumar)

At a closed-door meeting with chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday, the senior BJP leader is learnt to have assured the JD (U) leader that the BJP wanted him to continue in the state’s top post, an assurance that was seen in the context of recent statements by some of the party’s state leaders that suggested the BJP had other plans.

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Two BJP leaders said Pradhan assured Kumar that he will continue to remain the state’s chief minister till 2025 and that the BJP will not do anything to disturb the present NDA set-up in Bihar. He also assured of action against any BJP leader in case any comments are made against him and the government in public.

The leaders said Pradhan also broached the presidential elections and sought the support of JD (U) lawmakers for the presidential elections. President Ram Nath Kovid’s five-year term ends in July, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu’s term in early August.

“The BJP wants to ensure that the JD (U) provides full support to NDA candidate. Even with their support, the BJP may fall short of votes and if JD (U) backs out, the gap of votes will further increase,” said a senior BJP leader, in the know of things.

To be sure, there was no clarity on Nitish Kumar’s response but his party leaders have earlier indicated that it was likely that the party will extend support since it was part of the National Democratic Alliance.

The two BJP leaders cited above said Pradhan was likely to be the BJP’s pointsperson for the JD(U) given the rapport that the two leaders share.

The meeting with CM Kumar lasted more than an hour after which he was joined by the state education minister Vijay Kumar Chowdhary.

HRD minister Vijay Kumar Chowdhary said he wasn’t aware what transpired in the one-on-one meeting between Kumar and Pradhan. “I cannot say what transpired between CM and him before I joined them. With me, it was mostly on education related matters. But it is true that they were holding talks before I joined,” Chowdhary said.

Pradhan also met state BJP leaders at the state guest house after his meeting with Nitish Kumar. Among those who were present included a minister, MLA Sanjeev Chaurasia, spokespersons Sanjay Tiger and Prem Ranjan Patel.

BJP spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel and MLA Sanjeev Chaurasia did not get into the details of their meeting, saying it was essentially a courtesy call.

Another BJP leader said that cabinet expansion in the Nitish Kumar cabinet did figure in Pradhan and Kumar’s conversation.

Nitish Kumar has six vacancies in his council of ministers after the resignation of VIP leader Mukesh Sahni. “There is talks of dropping ministers with poor performance from BJP quota… BJP can give place to some new faces, especially the youth, in the Bihar cabinet,” said another BJP leader.

Pradhan also had second round of meeting at the State Guest House with Bihar education minister Vijay Choudhary, who apprised him of the problems being faced by the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. Pradhan, who also holds charge of skills development, also reviewed the projects with officials.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Vijay is chief of bureau, Patna. He has spent 21 years in journalism and covers political beats and public affairs.

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