The BJP may be seething at Nitish Kumar for ‘betraying’ the saffron party, as well as the voters’ mandate, but the RJD on Wednesday described the return of Kumar and his JD(U) to the Mahagathbandhan fold as ‘ghar wapasi’ of the 2017-2020 mandate.
“It’s not only a government that will take oath, but it’s also a ‘ghar wapasi’ of the 2017-2020 mandate. It’s very important, especially in era in which the BJP has decided to mangle democratic values, that only they would remain. Bihar gave a message, it’s an oath of the people of Bihar,” RJD’s Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha told news agency ANI.
The term ‘ghar wapasi’ is used by right-wing groups for Hindus who return to Hinduism after converting to another religion. In this context, Jha was referring to Kumar’s comeback to the grand alliance, which the 71-year-old leader left in July 2017 to join hands with the BJP.
In June 2013, Nitish Kumar exited the BJP-led NDA and, in October-November 2015, became chief minister for a fifth time as the Mahagathbandhan (RJD, JD(U) and Congress) won the Bihar assembly elections. However, he left the alliance and joined the NDA, and became a 6-term head of government.
In October-November 2020, the NDA won the assembly polls, and Kumar became chief minister yet again. The Mahagathbandhan, however, maintains that the NDA resorted to ‘electoral fraud’ and the actual result was in its favour.
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