Bihar Deputy Chief Minister's Tribute To AB Vajpayee, Then A Clarification

A no-holds-barred speech to pay tribute to former Prime Minister late Atal Bihar Vajpayee landed Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha in trouble yesterday and sparked friction between the BJP and its key ally, the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United). Shortly after, Mr Sinha had to issue a clarification, ostensibly under the party’s pressure.

Addressing a BJP event in memory of the BJP stalwart, Mr Sinha said the BJP’s mission in Bihar is still incomplete. “The true tribute to Atal ji will be BJP’s own government (in Bihar). Only then, the restlessness in our hearts will be calmed,” he said.,

Targeting the main Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal, he said, “Even today, the ‘jungle raj’ people disrupt Bihar’s communal harmony.” The BJP leader said Bihar has a prominent place in India’s history. “It is time to awaken that spirit again. Every Bihari must feel proud… when Bihar will have our government, that will be a true tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, every BJP worker will be proud,” he said.

जंगलराज वालों को दोबारा अवसर नही मिलेगा।
बिहार के मुख्यमंत्री श्री नीतीश कुमार जी के नेतृत्व में आगे भी एनडीए की सरकार बनेगी। pic.twitter.com/GOAAWRgCTt

— Vijay Kumar Sinha (@VijayKrSinhaBih) December 25, 2024

The remarks came against the backdrop of the Assembly polls in Bihar next year and sparked speculation on whether all is well with the BJP-JDU alliance. Despite being the big brother in the NDA alliance in terms of numbers, the BJP let Nitish Kumar continue as the Chief Minister after he switched from the Opposition camp to NDA last year. The JDU chief returned the favour when he provided crucial support to the BJP at the centre after it fell short of a majority in the general election this year. In this context, the Deputy Chief Minister’s remark could harm the BJP in Patna and Delhi. It also sparked speculation on whether the BJP plans to replace Nitish Kumar if it managed to win the required numbers in the upcoming state polls. It is, therefore, not surprising that the 57-year-old leader soon issued a fresh video, clearly under pressure from the party.

In this video, he described Nitish Kumar as “Atal ji’s favourite”. “He was sent to establish good governance here. Immense work was done between 2005 and 2010 to rid Bihar of jungle raj. The NDA government under Nitish Kumar’s leadership has freed Bihar from the jungle raj of kidnappings, murders, loot and rapes.” 

“NDA’s government will be formed under the leadership of Nitish Kumar in the future,” he stressed, a framed photograph of Nitish Kumar on the wall behind him.

The Deputy Chief Minister’s remark and then the clarification is also significant because the main Opposition RJD has repeatedly stressed that the BJP is controlling the Bihar government from Delhi and Nitish Kumar has little control over the state administration.