Patna, Jan. 18: The journey so far has not been too bumpy for Nitish Kumar and his government in Bihar. But that could change with socialist veteran George Fernandes setting in motion the process to revive the Samata Party and pose a challenge to the chief minister.

“We are taking the committed party cadre from across the state to Delhi where Fernandes will announce the Samata Party’s revival on January 21 and launch a sustained and lasting war on the government,” P.K. Sinha, who was once close to Nitish, told The Telegraph today before boarding a Delhi-bound train with other workers and leaders unhappy with the Nitish-led government.

“It’s heartening to see that Fernandes has decided to return to his original home. We will accept him as our leader,” Sinha said, adding: “a large number of party workers are unhappy at the Nitish government’s style of functioning and will work with Fernandes to overthrow it.”

The other “dissident” leaders travelling to Delhi include Arun Kumar, who recently contested the Nalanda seat against the JD(U) nominee, and suspended legislator Chhedi Paswan.

Sources said Fernandes’s move probably had the “backing of some don-cum-politicians of the Dal(U) such as Sunil Pandey and Munna Shukla”. These leaders reportedly nurse a “grudge” against the Nitish government.

The veteran politician is believed to be “working overtime” in his bid to take on former colleagues Nitish and Sharad Yadav, who, he believes, “unceremoniously”dethroned him as the JD(U) chief.

While Nitish and his ministerial colleagues are busy giving final touches to preparations for the visit of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and a host of NRIs — who will descend on the Bihar capital to grace the three-day global meet — the dissidents are working hard to ensure a “respectable gathering” at the Fernandes show in Delhi.

The chief minister, said sources close to him, reportedly got in touch with the BJP leadership suggesting that Fernandes be dropped as the NDA convener.

On the other hand, those in the dissident camp said Fernandes is working on three options — Jaya Jaitley, Arun Kumar and Basishtha Narayan Singh as president of the revived Samata Party at the Delhi meet.

Fernandes and Nitish had left the unified Janata Dal in 1994 to form the Samata Party, which later merged into the JD(U). Sinha and a few other leaders stayed back in what remained of the Samata Party.

Though the RJD has been silent over the developments in the rival camp, party president Lalu Prasad is said to be backing Fernandes in a covert manner, said a source.