Lalu Prasad

New Delhi, June 20: Congress’s sudden show of love for Nitish Kumar, with four of its MLAs voting in favour of the confidence motion in the Assembly, has alarmed rival Lalu Prasad with the forebodings of a new realignment that could threaten the politics of the RJD boss.

By elbowing out the BJP and welcoming the Congress by his side, Nitish is trying to usurp the political position Lalu had represented for decades in the heartland state, RJD insiders feel.

Nitish is aiming to marginalise Lalu and position himself as the main adversary of a Narendra Modi-led BJP, propelled by the backing of the backward castes minus the Yadavs and the Muslims, sources close to Lalu said.

Congress’s surprise support to the JD(U) is what has hurt Lalu the most, as he fears it could gravitate the Muslims more towards Nitish and potentially damage his hopes of a bounce back in the state.

The victory in the Maharajganj bypoll had excited Lalu and he was sure the Congress would take note of it and join hands with the RJD.

He needed to assure the Muslims that he was the main force to halt a Modi, RJD sources said, pointing out there leader was feeling let down by Sonia Gandhi.

Sources close to Lalu said he was confident that his impeccable secular credentials would not be waved aside by the Muslims but he appeared concerned by the way Nitish was positioning himself and feels the Congress was aiding it by swiftly imparting a secular certificate to the JD(U). Even the Left parties, which stood beside Lalu then, have shifted towards Nitish with CPI MLA voting in favour of the confidence motion.

Nitish’s political rework posed a threat to Lalu, as the JD(U) chief appeared to be striving to present himself in very much the same avatar the RJD chief had put himself up in the 1990s.

By raising the banner of revolt against Narendra Modi, Nitish was aspiring to do what Lalu had done by arresting then Hindutva mascot L.K. Advani in the early nineties to become the darling of the Muslims.

With the backwards castes already behind him swayed by the Mandal wave, the addition of Muslims made Lalu virtually invincible till the non-Yadav backwards deserted him over time.

By walking away from the BJP, Nitish has snapped the bridge with the upper castes and was sure to invite upper caste anger similar to something what Lalu had faced during the Mandal era and all through his days in power in the state. In fact, it was the upper caste rage against Lalu that had brought the BJP and the JD(U) together.

On the whole, RJD insiders sense an attempt by Nitish to capture Lalu’s citadel and present himself as the messiah of the backward castes and Muslims pitted against the “communal” BJP, sustained by the upper castes.

“If he succeeds, that would be clear in the days to come, then it could spell trouble for Lalu”, said an RJD leader.