Former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi’s tweet taking a dig at BJP patriarch Lal Krishna Advani and favouring Narendra Modi as the party’s prime ministerial candidate has come as a shock to some of his allies. Sushil Kumar Modi had once certified Nitish Kumar as a fit prime ministerial candidate though it was evident that the Gujarat Modi was the frontrunner. The former deputy chief minister did not even wish NaMo at a National Development Council meeting in New Delhi and kept sitting beside Nitish. He was the one who prohibited the Bihar BJP leaders from taking the name of Narendra Modi in public. Now, he seems to be the man who represents NaMo in Bihar,” said a former BJP minister, stressing that Sushil Kumar Modi should not have targeted Advani. Not just the former deputy chief minister, several other BJP leaders have switched loyalty after the NDA split in Bihar. Former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi's supporters are infuriated after JD(U) MP Shivanand Tiwari dubbed him a “kalyugi” (modern age) child of Lal Krishna Advani and accused him of betraying his mentor. “Tiwariji is hardly a Satyugi (pious) child of his father - the great socialist leader, Ramanand Tiwari. His father was hurt by his acts,” said a BJP leader, stressing that Tiwari was hardly the person who could give a lecture on loyalty as he had betrayed both Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar. Incidentally, Lalu had also called him an “unworthy son of a worthy father” when he deserted the RJD. To be fair, Tiwari has written an article conceding that he could not live up to the expectations of his father. Dubious officials have worked out a new formula to conceal their ill-gotten assets. “The investigating agencies trace the flats and houses after seizing documents related to the purchase of assets. Now, the officials involved in graft believe it would be better to keep the documents inside the flats and houses they have purchased and bring only their keys to the premises where they stay. Keys do not identify flats,” said an official. BJP MLA Awnish Kumar Singh has been of late targeting Sushil Kumar Modi and praising chief minister Nitish Kumar. Singh, a BJP MLA from East Champaran, praised Nitish for running 18 departments efficiently. “Even JD(U) MLAs do not claim this because they want to be ministers,” said a JD(U) leader. The BJP does not want seem to be alarmed over Awnish's outburst, though. “Awnish needs the support of the BJP to win election from his seat, having a substantial Muslim presence. The last time he left the party, he lost in elections and resurfaced in the BJP office,” said a senior BJP leader. The number of disgruntled BJP MLAs, however, is increasing - Vijay Kumar Mishra, Rana Gangeshwar Singh, Awnish... It may get longer.
Sunday, 18 May 2025
