JDU Hits Back at Sonia Gandhi Over Nitish Kumar’s INDIA Bloc Exit
JDU working president Sanjay Jha disputed Sonia Gandhi’s account of Nitish Kumar’s exit from the INDIA bloc, claiming several opposition leaders initially wanted an alliance without Congress.
JDU working president Sanjay Jha has hit back at Sonia Gandhi’s remarks on Nitish Kumar’s exit from the INDIA bloc, claiming that several opposition leaders had initially wanted a front without Congress. Jha said he witnessed meetings during the alliance’s early phase where leaders allegedly asked Kumar to convene discussions without Congress representatives.
Jha also rejected the suggestion that Kumar was primarily seeking the convenor’s post. He said Kumar eventually walked away after becoming frustrated with what he described as Congress’s approach to alliance politics.
His comments came after differences reportedly surfaced within the Congress Working Committee over whether Nitish Kumar should have been allowed to leave the opposition alliance in 2024. Digvijaya Singh argued that retaining Kumar could have changed the political situation, while Sonia Gandhi reportedly said his departure was inevitable.
Nitish Kumar left the opposition alliance in January 2024 and returned to the BJP-led NDA, becoming Bihar chief minister again.
The political back-and-forth comes as INDIA bloc parties meet in Delhi over the ongoing SIR controversy and their strategy regarding the Election Commission.
Basically, the alliance is still together on paper—but the old “who wanted whom?” debate clearly has plenty of sequel material.
