Pavan Varma, a senior JD(U) leader & former IFS officer, has been in a face-off with his own party leader Nitish Kumar over the issue of CAA, NRC & NPR.
Patna/ New Delhi| A senior leader of Janata Dal United (JDU) has confronted the Bihar CM Nitish Kumar over the party’s alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming Delhi elections. Pavan Varma, in a letter to Nitish Kumar, said he is “deeply perplexed” by the developments and demanded “ideological clarity” from the Bihar CM.
Varma said, “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,” he continued.
“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,” Varma further added.
The Akali Dal, BJP’s ally in Punjab, has already refused to fight Delhi elections in alliance with BJP citing their issues with CAA that have not been resolved by the BJP. Exclusions of Muslims from CAA is not acceptable to them, said the Akali Dal in a press conference.
Also Read: Bihar: Nitish Kumar government passes new liquor amendment bill
In a letter that Varma posted on his Twitter handle, he asked, “asking him how the JD(U) has formed an alliance with the BJP for the Delhi elections, given his own views on the BJP, and the massive national outrage against the divisive CAA-NPR-NRC scheme”.
This is the letter I have written to @NitishKumar today asking him how the JD(U) has formed an alliance with the BJP for the Delhi elections, given his own views on the BJP, and the massive national outrage against the divisive CAA-NPR-NRC scheme. pic.twitter.com/ErSynnuiYm
— Pavan K. Varma (@PavanK_Varma) January 21, 2020
In this letter, Mr. Varma reminded Nitish of their first meeting in 2012 when he hadn’t quit the IFS. you had spoken to me at length and with conviction on why Narendra Modi and his policies are inimical for the country.” He also recalled Mr. Kumar’s call for an “RSS-mukt bharat (RSS-free India)”, Varma said.
“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,” Varma added saying that Nitish ‘confessed’ to him about the current BJP leadership humiliating him.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has a provision to give citizenship to 6 religions from three countries. It’s been debated since it excludes the Muslim religion. The JD(U) has voted in favor of the bill in parliament. Since then, the JD(U) supremo has been feeling the heat even from the leaders of his own party such as Prashant Kishor.
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