Doors are never...: BJP leader on Nitish's return

January 26, 2024 15:07

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Friday said doors are never permanently closed to anyone in politics amid indications that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may revive ties with his former ally as his equations with INDIA bloc partners turn sour.

Sources in both the BJP and the Janata Dal-United suggested such a possibility but it remained unclear if Kumar, the unquestioned leader of his party, has finalised a deal with the BJP top brass.

Speaking to reporters, Modi said, "As far as Kumar or the JD-U are concerned, doors are never permanently closed in politics. Closed doors open when the time comes but whether they will open or not is for our central leadership to decide."

After Kumar snapped his ties with the BJP in 2022, the party maintained that its doors were permanently closed to Bihar's longest-serving chief minister but its leaders have turned more conciliatory of late as the INDIA bloc lurches from one internal crisis to another.

Modi was deputy chief minister for a long time in governments headed by Kumar but was not repeated when the BJP-JDU alliance came to power after the 2020 assembly polls.

However, he has been part of the confabulations by the BJP top brass this time, in an indication that the seasoned politician may be trusted with a key responsibility if the two parties join hands again.

The Rajya Sabha MP enjoyed warm relations with Kumar when they were together but turned a staunch critic after the JD-U leader dumped the BJP for a second time in 2022.

The BJP has been in touch with its Bihar allies, including Chirag Paswan and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, over the developments in the state but they have not been given a clear idea about the possibility of Kumar's return to their fold, the sources said. -- PTI

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