BJP to review ties with JD-U today

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Congress leader Shekhar Suman greets his father, Dr Fanibhushan Sinha, at his residence in Patna on Sunday, Father’s Day. PHOTO

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will review its strained ties with the Janata Dal (United) in Bihar on Monday even as NDA convenor and JD(U) president Sharad Yadav said that the alliance would continue.
“Our central leadership is keeping an eye on the political situation in Bihar. Our party president and other senior leaders will be here on June 21 and we will discuss the issue,” BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said on Sunday.
Mr Hussain said there was no plan of going alone in the forthcoming Bihar elections in October.
This came just a day after Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar returned the flood relief money to Gujarat CM Narendra Modi.
BJP president Nitin Gadkari will discuss the matter with party top brass. Mr Hussain said Mr Gadkari would be apprised of the developments in Bihar, including the return of Rs 5 crores of flood money that was given to the state for Kosi flood relief in 2008 by the Gujarat government.
But indicating trouble in the alliance, BJP leader and Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi pulled out of functions to be addressed by Mr Nitish Kumar. Sources said other BJP leaders in Bihar have also been asked not to attend the Vishwas Yatra. The programme was later cancelled.
Meanwhile, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav said his party’s alliance will the BJP will continue despite the “unfortunate” episode involving Mr Nitish Kumar and Mr Modi.
“Our alliance with the NDA is old and our intention is that it should continue. The incidents of June 12 were unfortunate but are now behind us. What has passed has passed. After June 12 we fought the Rajya Sabha polls together,” said Mr Yadav.
“The NDA is still functioning and in future also the NDA will function,” Mr Yadav said.
He maintained that the events of June 12, when Mr Kumar expressed his ire at an advertisement thanking Mr Modi for flood relief to Bihar and even threatened to return the money, will not harm the JD(U)-BJP alliance.
Relations between the JD(U) and the BJP touched a new low after Mr Kumar returned Rs 5 crores of flood relief fund to Gujarat on Saturday.
Sources close to Bihar BJP chief C.P. Thakur said that the party was working towards mending the strained relationship and finding a “cure” for the problems between them.