Patna (Bihar) [India], November 11 (ANI): A political exchange has erupted between the Janata Dal (United) and the Congress over the mention of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', with JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha defending Kumar's role in the formation of the INDIA bloc, while Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan questioned the circumstances behind his departure from the opposition alliance.
Reacting to the remarks in Gandhi's book, Jha criticised the Congress for what he described as a culture of making personal remarks against senior politicians, asserting that Nitish Kumar had played a key role in bringing opposition parties together.
"What I have particularly noticed in Sonia Gandhi's book is the remark about Nitish Kumar. It reflects what appears to be a new culture within the Congress, where senior leaders make personal and below-the-belt remarks against politicians who have dedicated their lives to public service and the development of their states. The book stated that Nitish Kumar left the INDIA alliance meeting for weak reasons," Jha said.
Defending Kumar's contribution to the opposition alliance, the JD(U) MP said that the Bihar Chief Minister had laid its foundation by building trust among opposition leaders and bringing them together.
"However, people should understand that Nitish Kumar laid the foundation of the INDIA alliance. Leaders came together because of the trust he built among them. He travelled across the country, brought different opposition leaders together, and organised the first meeting in Patna. The circumstances that led him to leave the alliance should also be explained," he added.
In her memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love, Sonia Gandhi wrote that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was "looking for an opportunity to exit the INDIA bloc" and was under the BJP's influence.
She described his departure in January 2024, when he rejoined the NDA, as a planned move rather than a sudden reaction. She recounted that Nitish Kumar abruptly walked out of an opposition leaders' meeting shortly before the general election, making what she termed a "feeble excuse."
While his exit created initial shock for the opposition, she wrote that it did not derail the alliance's determination. At a later Congress Working Committee meeting, she reportedly remarked, "Thank God Nitish Kumar left on time. He was always meant to go there."
Meanwhile, Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan questioned the JD(U)'s objection to Gandhi's remarks, asserting that Nitish Kumar had been looking for an opportunity to leave the INDIA bloc.
"They (JDU) should speak the complete truth. What Sonia Gandhi wrote in her book, that he had been looking for an opportunity to leave the INDIA bloc - he was indeed looking for an opportunity...What was the reason he left?...What was the weak link has not been disclosed by the JD(U), Lalan Singh or Sanjay Jha. Could there have been an alliance with BJP agents all around? All of them were working on BJP's payroll," Khan said.
Khan further alleged that Nitish Kumar had been under pressure and questioned the circumstances that led him to move away from his political ideology.
"Entire Bihar, whole of India knows of the pressure Nitish Kumar was in, while being surrounded by corrupt office bearers...Nitish Kumar is known for jumping ships in Bihar...What was the compulsion which distances one from their ideology, from their mindset? Such people want to do individual politics," he said.
The Congress leader also suggested that a political turnaround could still be possible in Bihar, while accusing JD(U) leaders Sanjay Jha and Lalan Singh of weakening Nitish Kumar's position.
"There can still be a turnaround. Bihar politics is really famous for it. These people, especially Sanjay Jha and Lalan Singh, have weakened Nitish Kumar...JD(U) will be finished off by these two people," he added.
The political rift has widened over the release of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi's memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, drawing swift praise from party members and sharp scepticism from the BJP. The memoir, published by HarperCollins in India, went on sale on Tuesday.
It traces Sonia Gandhi's journey from her childhood in post-war Italy and her romance with Rajiv Gandhi at Cambridge to her life in India and the personal losses that shaped her bond with the country, including the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. (ANI)
JD(U) defends Nitish Kumar over Sonia Gandhi's memoir; Congress questions circumstances behind his exit from INDIA bloc
