Pavan Varma questions JDU’S alliance with BJP

NEW DELHI: In a major political setback for the JD(U), party leader Pavan Varma has sought ideological clarity from Nitish Kumar over aligning with the BJP in the upcoming Delhi elections, referring to the Bihar Chief Minister’s “private apprehensions” on how the saffron party is

leading the country. “I remember your confessing to me in private how the current leadership in the BJP party has humiliated you. You maintained, on more than one occasion, that the BJP is leading India into a ‘dangerous space,” the former Rajya Sabha member and JD(U) general secretary wrote in a letter.

In the letter, which he shared on social media, Varma said: “It was your personal view, as conveyed to me, that the BJP is destroying institutions, and that there is a need for democratic and socialist forces within the country to regroup, a task for which you actually assigned a senior party official.”

NEW DELHI: In a major political setback for the JD(U), party leader Pavan Varma has sought ideological clarity from party president Nitish Kumar over aligning with the BJP in the upcoming Delhi elections, referring to the Bihar Chief Minister's “private apprehensions” on how the saffron party is leading the country.

“I remember your confessing to me in private how the current leadership in the BJP party has humiliated you. You maintained, on more than one occasion, that the BJP is leading India into a ‘dangerous space,” the former Rajya Sabha member and JD(U) general secretary wrote in a letter.

In the letter, which he shared on social media, Varma said, “It was your personal view, as conveyed to me, that the BJP is destroying institutions, and that there is a need for democratic and socialist forces within the country to regroup, a task for which you actually assigned a senior party official.”

The JD(U) has not reacted to Varma's claims and swipe at Kumar, who has been a frequent critic of the Modi government's policies and had asked his party to stand against its citizenship measures.

However, Bihar unit of BJP has suggested Varma to not present hypothesis to create fear psychosis. Reacting to Verma's letter, Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said, “There is no NRC as of now. The JD(U) leader must go through the statements of PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the issue of NRC.”

“In case of NPR, the Bihar government has already issued notification to start the process. The law on CAA has been enacted following the constitutional process. Varma is free to debate, but no state can discard its legitimacy as citizenship being the union subject,” Anand said, adding that Varma can contact Kapil Sibal in this regard for understanding the legal and constitutional perspective. Commenting on seat sharing between NDA for Delhi election, Anand said, “The alliance shows the rapport among the top leaders of NDA allies. By putting his letter in public, Varma has raised questions on the top leadership of JDU, which is against the discipline of party hierarchy as well as the collective essence and ethos of NDA.”