Nitish Kumar takes the lead, drops diesel prices in Bihar

Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has decided to cut local taxes in Bihar to make diesel prices 85 paise cheaper. Last week, in an attempt to reduce fuel subsidies, the centre increased the price of diesel by Rs. 5, excluding Value-Added Tax (VAT). The price hike was part of a series of big-bang reforms that included limiting the supply of subsidised cooking gas to households and opening up the retail sector to foreign super-market chains like Wal-Mart.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has quit the PM's coalition over these economic measures, citing them as "anti-people" policies. Sources in the Congress say the government is leaning towards a 50-paise rollback in diesel prices, and increasing subsidised gas cylinders from six to nine per household. The party has also suggested that Ms Banerjee could drop state taxes to lower the price of diesel. She has angrily rejected that option on the grounds that her state is broke.

Diesel prices had shot upto Rs. 50.80 per litre in Bihar. With the discount he has thrown in today, Mr Kumar has stolen the centre's thunder should it decided to drop prices soon. The chief minister is on a tour of the state to highlight his campaign to get "special status" for Bihar, a petition rejected by the centre earlier this year. His decision to make diesel cheaper will be used at rallies to claim that his government intervenes when the centre ignores the needs of the aam admi or common man. Due to the VAT reduction, the total loss to state exchequer will be Rs. 118 crore.

Without Ms Banerjee, the UPA is in a minority. Mr Kumar belongs to the opposing coalition, the NDA, which is led by his partner in Bihar, the BJP. Yesterday, he declared that his support in the next general election will extend to whoever promises "special status" for Bihar, which would make it eligible for special financial packages from the centre along with assistance in attracting private investment. The chief minister, who has 22 of Bihar's 40 Lok Sabha seats, said Bihar will be a major player in deciding who comes to power next in Delhi. Mr Kumar's remarks - which suggested he is up for grabs - shook up the BJP, which insists that he remains anti-Congress. But if Mr Kumar is open to wooing, the Congress has shown it's interested. "Several states including UP, Bihar need special packages, so we will have to discuss," Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh told NDTV. 

From: NDTV

Did Nitish Kumar just put NDA on notice? His comment suggests he's up for grabs

Patna: With the UPA government reduced to a minority after Mamata Banerjee's withdrawal, political alignments are shaping and reshaping themselves virtually by the hour. And regional parties are looking at pushing their agendas and demands in the politically uncertain situation. Though it is the Congress which is in most pain right now, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA got a bit of kick in the shins as well.

It came from Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who said that his party, the Janata Dal (United) was willing to support whoever gave the state special status. "Whoever supports special status for Bihar, we will support them at the Centre," Mr Kumar said.

His party, which is in alliance with the BJP in Bihar, has 22 MPs in Parliament, three more than the exiting Trinamool Congress. He said that Bihar, which has 40 Lok Sabha seats, will play a lead role in deciding who comes to power next.
 And if Mr Kumar indicated his party was available, the Congress suggested it was available. "Several states including UP, Bihar need special packages, so we will have to discuss," Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh told NDTV. He also said that Mr Kumar had "proved" his secular credentials several times, while pointing out that he was the Railway Minister during the Godhra riots in 2002.

But JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav, who is also the NDA convener, made light of Mr Kumar's remark. "I speak to Nitish Kumar three times a day... He is usually three-four places ahead of me so what can I say about what he has said... there is nothing of the sort," he said.

The BJP, which leads the NDA coalition, of which Mr Kumar's JD(U) is a key constituent, downplayed the latter's remark. "You misunderstood what he (Nitish Kumar) was saying. He was taunting the Congress as there was a request for special assistance earlier. There is nothing more to it," said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.

Earlier this year, the Centre rejected the 'special status' tag for Bihar which would entitle the state to large loans, major tax concessions, financial packages, infrastructure development, and a concerted effort by the Centre to boost private investment in Bihar. Mr Kumar's administration says that when Bihar was bifurcated in 2000, it lost a significant part of its natural resources to the new state of Jharkhand. In retaliation to the Centre's refusal, Mr Kumar began his Adhikar Yatra (Rights March) from Bettiah in West Champaran district today. It will culminate on November 4 with a rally in Patna, the first since in the state capital in nearly seven years.

Over the last few months, the relationship of the BJP and the JD(U) has been disturbed by the chief minister's remarks against senior BJP leader Narendra Modi. Mr Kumar has said that as the largest party in the ensemble, the BJP has the prerogative of picking the coalition's prime ministerial candidate. However, he has warned that he will exit the group if the BJP makes Mr Modi its nominee. 18% of Bihar is Muslim, and their vote is crucial for Mr Kumar. He has stressed that the NDA's prime ministerial candidate must have secular credentials - a thinly-veiled remark against Mr Modi, whose ambitions to move to the national landscape from Gujarat are hampered by the communal riots in his state in 2002.

Nitish Kumar vs Narendra Modi heats up for Gujarat elections

Ahmedabad: In the elections in Gujarat, the BJP will find itself in competition in 100 seats against its own ally, Nitish Kumar's party, the Janata Dal United or JD(U).

"There are some districts where we will contest on our own," said the JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav, in what will be seized by many as the latest installment of tension in an increasingly-unsteady partnership. In the last elections in Gujarat, the JD(U) contested 30 seats. This time, it will put up its own candidates in 100 constituencies. Mr Kumar dodged questions today about whether he will campaign in Gujarat, a move that would pit him against his counterpart there, chief minister Narendra Modi.

In Bihar, Mr Kumar runs the government with the BJP, but his thinly-veiled opposition to Mr Modi has been peaking lately amid discussions about the next general election. Mr Modi, who is up for re-election soon, has prime ministerial ambitions and is often seen as one of the most popular leaders of the BJP. In a series of interviews, Mr Kumar has said that his party will not support any candidate for PM who does not have secular values.

In the last state and general elections in Bihar, Mr Kumar made it clear to the BJP that Mr Modi could not be brought in for rallies and campaigns. 18% of Bihar's population is Muslim, a vote-bank loyal to Mr Kumar.

The BJP has vacillated between talking tough with Mr Kumar, and suggesting that his opinion will be taken into account before the party decides on its choice for Prime Minister. While some leaders have said Mr Kumar's advise and assessment of secularism is not needed, BJP president Nitin Gadkari told NDTV recently that the party has not yet decided on its nominee for Prime Minister.

Over the weekend, the Shiv Sena, one of the BJP's oldest allies, said it favours the BJP's Sushma Swaraj for Prime Minister, a surprise announcement that is likely to add to the much-discussed infighting within the BJP's senior ranks.

From: NDTV