The BJP seems to be dealing with Bihar Chief Minister Nithish Kumar a wee bit too cautiously. Nithish Kumar, a mercurial politician, is known to switch sides at the drop of the hat. In the runup to 2014 elections, he had gone out of the NDA and opposed Modi. In 2015, he joined hands with his one-time friend and long-time enemy Lalu Prasad Yadav to fight the BJP. Later, he ditched Lalu and joined hands with the BJP again. Now, he is again part of the NDA.
But, the BJP does not seem to trust him anymore. Though he is part of the NDA and is a strong Kurmi leader with appeal cutting across Bihar, UP and Jharkhand, the BJP has not invited him to campaign for the NDA in other states. He was used only in Bihar. On the other hand, Lok Janshakthi Party chief Ramvilas Paswan has been invited to campaign in both UP and Jharkhand, besides his home state of Bihar. Paswan is a Dalit leader and has considerable influence in other states too.
But, given Nitish Kumar's quick silver political moves, the BJP felt he should not be used in other states. In the meanwhile, Nitish has not helped himself by criticising Pragya Singh Thakur and her statements.
But, the BJP does not seem to trust him anymore. Though he is part of the NDA and is a strong Kurmi leader with appeal cutting across Bihar, UP and Jharkhand, the BJP has not invited him to campaign for the NDA in other states. He was used only in Bihar. On the other hand, Lok Janshakthi Party chief Ramvilas Paswan has been invited to campaign in both UP and Jharkhand, besides his home state of Bihar. Paswan is a Dalit leader and has considerable influence in other states too.
But, given Nitish Kumar's quick silver political moves, the BJP felt he should not be used in other states. In the meanwhile, Nitish has not helped himself by criticising Pragya Singh Thakur and her statements.