Convening a meeting had become imperative for most of the NDA leaders. Also to a section of BJP leaders who were unwilling to subscribe to the lies being spread by the BJP IT cell and people close to Amit Shah. After his remarks against Ambedkar on the floor of the Rajya Sabha some NDA allies had expressed their anger and exasperation. Top RSS leaders had also criticised Shah for his erratic and irresponsible statements.

As a first step to salvage the situation, the BJP leadership convened the meeting of the NDA. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already advised Amit Shah to win over Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Of all the NDA leaders, Nitish Kumar was the most aggressive, though initially Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi were also quite cut up. After Pashupati Paras left the NDA had already made them nervous.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders targeted the Congress and severely criticised it for constitutional violations. Modi refrained from attacking INDIA bloc parties. His entire endeavour was to wriggle out of the crisis. Amit Shah saw a deep-rooted conspiracy in the Congress attack. Shah said the Congress had initially remained silent, but then edited and misrepresented his statements to create a political narrative.

Shah further alleged that a toolkit was used to amplify these claims maliciously. It was shocking to witness Shah speaking white lies. Nevertheless Shah, who has been comfortable with Nitish for some time, decided to use the existing political scenario to unseat him. The day the NDA was meeting to strategize its move to counter Congress, the Modi-Shah combo shifted Arif Mohammad Khan, Governor of Kerala, to Bihar. Incidentally, Arif’s transfer was not discussed with Nitish. It took place after eleven in the night.

The relocation has its own significance. Both Nitish and Arif were members of V P Singh cabinet. They are good friends. Amit Shah was sure of Nitish not objecting to his taking charge. The major reason was not to provide any opportunity for Nitish to disrespect to Muslims. After the Ambedkar episode Nitish Kumar had conveyed his feelings that he did not like Amit Shah insulting the sentiments of Dalits. He was already angry with Modi and Shah for insulting and insinuating against Muslims.

Nitish Kumar during his “Pragati Yatra” which he launched from Motihari on December 23 bowed before the photo of Babasaheb Ambedkar and vowed to work for the success of his ideas and ideals. This, according to some senior JD(U) leaders, was an attempt to send a message to Modi-Shah that he did not support their political line on Ambedkar.

Though Amit Shah abhors his attitude, in the present political situation he has no other option but to publicly endorse Nitish’s stand, insiders maintain that a well-designed plan is being worked out to purge him. In Bihar Amit Shah will not replicate his Maharashtra or Madhya Pradesh formula. Instead he would follow the quicksand strategy. A group of JD(U) leaders elect their own leader without informing him and then announce his purge.

Notwithstanding the public claim of some BJP leaders that the Bihar NDA will go to the 2025 assembly polls under the leadership of Nitish, the national leaders, especially Amit Shah, came with a portentous reply that the BJP will make a decision at the appropriate time. This has not gone well with the JD(U) with most of the senior leaders except Union minister Lalan Singh, who is supposed to be close to Amit Shah and executive president Sanjay Jha, who is also a chum of Shah.

The apprehension that Nitish Kumar may take some extreme step has further gained currency with his boycotting the state level “global investment meet” a couple of days back. A sulking Nitish Kumar also cancelled his visit to Nalanda district on December 20 to inaugurate a statue of Magadh Emperor Jarasandha in Rajgir. The BJP in the present political scenario cannot dare to antagonise Nitish Kumar. However both JD(U) and Nitish are both jittery after Amit Shah's comments.

Without Nitish Kumar, the BJP cannot think of winning the electoral battle. As a damage control measure on December 22, state BJP leader and deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary categorically stated that the forthcoming Bihar polls will be fought with Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar as the NDA's face.

The national BJP leaders are afraid of their plan getting aborted even before being implemented. While Nitish Kumar has been contemplating to advance the election to mid-2025, the BJP leaders are holding on to the due date, sometime in October-November. In fact Nitish Kumar has come to know of the BJP plan to purge him and he would certainly not like to oblige them. Sources maintain that he is already aware of the backstabbing designs of BJP leaders, which is why he will prefer to advance the election. But he is also suspicious of the role of the new Governor Arif Mohammad Khan.

Meanwhile, sources maintain that he has opened back channels to overcome the challenges. Some RJD leaders confide that Lalu Yadav is willing to extend support to Nitish Kumar but with one rider: His son and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav will be made chief minister. However, some of the opposition leaders treat it as preposterous and they are in favour of first salvaging the situation and defeating the BJP plan.

What triggered the controversy was the letter written by Sanjay Jha, supposedly the number two person in the JD(U) hierarchy, to the AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. Jha as an MP can write a letter to the president of any political party but he should have realised that he was replying to the letter written by Kejriwal to Nitish Kumar. In his reply he was quite harsh to Kejriwal. The question arises can he be sarcastic and scornful? He was not replying to the letter written to him. Did the contents of the letter have Nitish Kumar's approval? Of course Jha’s loyalty and dedication to Nitish distinguishes him from others.

On December 19, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal wrote letters to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, urging them to consider the impact of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's allegedly controversial statement about former Minister of Law and Justice, BR Ambedkar. On December 20, Jhaattacked him: When Nitish Kumar resigned from the CM's post, he made a Mahadalit' (Jitan Ram Manjhi) the Chief Minister. Why did he not appoint a Dalit CM in Delhi, upon resigning or in Punjab?

In a social media post on X, Jha wrote, "Honorable @ArvindKejriwal Sir, I read your letter to the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Bihar @NitishKumar. I can understand your real pain. Your pain is that on that day in the House, the Hon'ble Home Minister @AmitShah was exposing the leader of your alliance, his party and his family....The misbehaviour that the Congress Party and its leaders did to Baba Saheb is unforgivable.... What our leader, the honourable Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar ji has done for the Dalits and backward classes in Bihar by following in the footsteps of Baba Saheb, you and the leaders of your alliance cannot even imagine doing that. I urge you to leave your prejudices and think positively about the progress of the country.”

It is this derisive letter which alerted the close aides of Nitish. They alleged that all kinds of false propaganda, like he is not well, his mind is not working perfectly were being rumoured in political circles. Jha used to be a close associate of the late BJP leader and Union minister Arun Jaitley. He was made to join the JD(U) on the initiative of Amit Shah in 2012. It is said that it was at the suggestion of Amit Shah he was made the working president of JD(U). Nitish Kumar made him MLC in 2019 and inducted him into the Bihar cabinet. (IPA Service)