Patna:
Amid the tension between his party, the BJP and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the peacekeeping force has been led largely by Sushil Kumar Modi, the 60-year-old Deputy Chief Minister.
But on Tuesday, Mr Modi took sides. And in a break with recent pattern, it was the BJP and not its ally that he rooted for.
"Everyone should follow coalition dharma. And in coalition, you don't allow inductees from the other side... except during elections," Mr Modi said.
Political migration has been a touchy topic in Bihar in the last few weeks between the two ruling parties because a senior BJP leader, Sanjay Jha, was inducted with major fanfare into the chief minister's party, the Janata Dal (United). Mr Modi said his case was an exception, because Mr Jha had kept the BJP's top leaders informed of his plans to crossover.
Mr Modi's statements today indicate that's enough.
The Jha switcheroo has clearly wounded the BJP's pride. A few days ago, state BJP president CP Thakur warned that several state legislators and MPs from Mr Kumar's Janata Dal (United) are in negotiations to defect to the BJP. Unblinking, Mr Kumar said yesterday that the BJP was welcome to have anyone in his party who wants to move.
Planted squarely between the chief minister and the BJP is the prime ministerial ambition of Narendra Modi. Mr Kumar ruled out supporting Mr Modi in the next election on the grounds that he would not accept anyone without secular credentials. The BJP said it did not need lessons from the Bihar chief minister on secularism. But Mr Modi had echoed Mr Kumar's point of view.
Mr Modi has also announced that the BJP will also organise a big rally against the Centre's apathy on different issues in Patna's Gandhi Maidan. He said the date has yet to be decided. But the demonstration is intended to take on Mr Kumar's rally, scheduled for November 6 to promote the need for "special status" for Bihar - which would entitle the state to woo private investment for industrial development and with a long-term objective to overcome economic backwardness.