MVA calls Nitish Kumar ‘biggest Palturam’; exit won’t impact INDIA bloc

Mumbai: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies on Monday called Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar the country’s ‘biggest Palturam’ (turncoat) and said his departure would not affect the national Opposition INDIA bloc’s prospects in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar and AICC General Secretary Ramesh Chennithala gave strong reactions to Nitish Kumar’s “unprincipled politics” despite attending four meetings of the INDIA bloc in the last six months.

“I recall how he had invited all the Opposition leaders to Patna a few months ago and waxed eloquent on how to rein in the Bharatiya Janata Party and he was working on those lines till recently… What happened in the last eight-ten days I have no idea,” said Pawar.

Flaying Nitish Kumar for “speaking one thing today and doing another the next day”, Chennithala said trust is very important in politics and today “he has forfeited that trust.”

Pawar said Nitish Kumar has made a record of sorts by allying with different parties twice in a single term in office as Chief Minister, by “discarding his ideology and joining the BJP” to form the government in Bihar.

“Earlier, he was with the BJP, then he joined hands with the RJD, and now again he has allied with the BJP… Such a situation has never occurred in the country before and he has set a new record,” said Pawar.

Chennithala said that now the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) are again contesting the elections together and will win the maximum number of seats as “the people of Bihar have realised what Nitish Kumar’s ideology and ideals are.”

The NCP supremo said that prior to this, the example of Haryana was given whenever “ayaram-gayaram” politics was discussed, but Nitish Kumar has gone much further, and “when the people go to polls, they will give a befitting reply.”

Other Maharashtra leaders like Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi President Prakash Ambedkar have also commented on the political upheavals that rocked Bihar during the weekend, besides posing question marks on the fate of INDIA bloc and its efficacy in challenging the BJP.