Nitish Kumar: Pawan can go and join any party he likes, my best wishes

Nitish Kumar broke his silence today on a senior leader of his Janata Dal United, Pawan Varma, publicly calling him out on his stand on ally BJP and the decision to extend their alliance to the Delhi election amid nationwide protests against the ruling party over the citizenship law.

"He can go and join any party he likes, my best wishes," the Bihar Chief Minister declared.
Pawan Varma had tweeted a letter to Nitish Kumar on Tuesday saying "deeply perplexed" by the JDU's alliance with the BJP for the February Delhi election and reminding him of private conversations in which the Chief Minister had expressed "grave apprehensions" about the BJP and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

"To give this kind of statement...it is surprising. Is this a way to talk," Mr Kumar told reporters this morning.

In his letter, Mr Varma had challenged his party chief to "harmonise" what he felt in private and what the JDU did in public.

"On more than one occasion, you have expressed your grave apprehensions about the BJP-RSS combine. If these are your real views, I fail to understand how the JDU is now extending its alliance with the BJP beyond Bihar, when even long standing allies of the BJP, like the Akali Dal, have refused to do so. "This is especially so at a time when the BJP, through the CAA-NPR-NRC combine, has embarked on a massive social divisive agenda aimed at mutilating the peace, harmony and stability of the country," Mr Varma wrote.

Mr Varma reminded Mr Kumar that in their first meeting in 2012, "you had spoken to me at length and with conviction on why Narendra Modi and his policies are inimical for the country." He also referred to Mr Kumar's call for an "RSS-mukt Bharat (RSS-free India)".

"It was your personal view that the BJP is destroying institutions, and that there is a need for democratic and socialist forces within the country to regroup..."

"The cause for confusion arises from the fact that even after you changed tracks and aligned again with the BJP in 2017, your private apprehensions regarding the BJP did not change," Mr Varma said, claiming that the Chief Minister even "confessed" to him in private about the current BJP leadership humiliating him.