OLD JANATA DAL PARIVAR COULD COME TOGETHER, HINTS SHARAD

A realignment of forces of the old Janata Dal parivar in Bihar has become quite probable following the crushing defeat faced by the JD(U) and the RJD in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls.

Indications of such an alliance being formed came in on Saturday when JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav spoke of aligning with the RJD, just hours after chief minister Nitish Kumar resigned from his post.

“We are ready to sink differences with RJD chief Lalu Prasad to form a secular alliance government in Bihar,” he said.

On his part, RJD chief Lalu Prasad has not openly endorsed the idea yet but insiders say he has begun introspecting on uniting ‘like minded secular parties’ to stop the saffron surge in Bihar. “Secular parties fought among themselves, which allowed the BJP to gain political space. We need to unite,” Prasad said on Friday.

The political core here feels the JD(U) chief ‘s idea of joining hands with the RJD chief - after 17 years of parting ways since 1997 - is a step borne out of political compulsion.

“For both the RJD and JD(U), coming together is a win-win situation. That would be a deadly combination and give the NDA a real challenge in assembly polls,” said a senior political observer.

The only big question is whether Nitish Kumar would like to make friends with his arch foe Prasad by risking his own political career.