Samikhsya Bureau
What the JD(U) leader and the national spokesman for the party has said on the Citizens’(Ammendment)Bill (CAB) goes miles to speak that, one cannot dismiss dissent even in alliance politics.
Varma has strongly opposed the spirit of the Bill and urged his leader Nitish Kumar, chief minister of Bihar, not to support the bill as the bill itself contradicts the ideals of unity and harmony that India is known for. Joining voice with Varma, JD(U) leader Prashant Kishore also expressed his disagreement on the CAB.
They are part of the alliance with the NDA and yet have urged the JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar to oppose the bill which may create a situation to violate the constitution and lead to be discriminatory. It remains to be seen what option the Bihar CM has before him.
Will BJD shun secularism onCAB
Protests are on from several parts of the North-East as people who fear about the intentions to accord citizenship to people from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who belong to non-Muslim religion. That is the point where the fear emanates.
It is not known if the Biju Janata Dal would do in the Rajya Sabha but, despite its secular posturing on various issues, more so post the fissure with the BJP in 2009, BJD in recent times has come forward to support the NDA on several crucial occasions thus creating an impression of manoeuvring its ideologies on a path of dichotomy.
If a few voices from the JD(U) like Pawan Varma and Prashant Kishore can stand up to their party chief and try to tell him that, reason should not be consumed by greed for political exigencies, then what stops the leaders from the BJD to urge the BJD supremo to echo the voice of a majority.
Be it demonetisation or Triple talaq or now Kashmir to RTI and so on, BJD stood by the Centre at every occasion. Which summarises that the BJD has sometimes tried to make political capital by politics of convenience.
