People in favour of note ban, says Nitish

NEW DELHI: “Whom should I follow, the people or politicians?” Bihar CM Nitish Kumar put this blunt question to his senior colleagues on Saturday whom he has called to Patna to put an end to the perception of divergence in his party over PM Narendra Modi’s decision to scrap notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000.

Nitish, who was the first to support demonetisation, told his colleagues that that his opinion was reinforced after he saw the support for the invalidation of high value notes at the ‘Chetna Rally’ organised in Madhubani on February 16 by the ruling coalition comprising JD(U), Lalu Prasad’s RJD and Congress. “I got a standing ovation when I declared my support for demonetisation,” a source quoted Nitish telling his colleagues to lay down the party line.

The attendees, who included general secretary KC Tyagi, MP Harivansh and spokesman Pawan Verma among others, were told in no uncertain terms that party members were expected to adhere to the stand. Sources said Nitish later phoned party veteran Sharad Yadav to explain his stand. The huddle was called after senior party leaders continued criticising the Modi government’s decision even after Nitish appeared to have drawn the line.

Yadav surprised many in the party by turning up at the protest organised by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. Besides, at least a couple of senior office bearers continued to speak in language which verged on endorsing Congress’s strident attack on the government for proscribing Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, if not the rollback demand of Mamata and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

Nitish also called his Mahagathbandhan partners, including Lalu and Congress state president Ashok Choudhary, about his support to demonetisation. Kumar was said to be particularly unhappy over the the way Yadav has been aggressively siding with the opposition in demonetisation protests even as Bihar CM had supported the move a day after the announcement was made. “We have democracy in the party but there should be unanimity among leaders on important issues. Party chief conveyed the same to leaders only after thorough discussions,” a leader said.

Nitish’s repeated remarks in favour of demonetisation not only pulled the rug out from under opposition unity, it resulted in a thaw in JD(U)-BJP relations after the two parties fell apart ahead of the 2014 general elections after running a coalition government in Bihar for two terms. Nitish reiterated his support for demonetisation on Monday and urged the Centre to “immediately” crack down on ‘benami’ properties and impose prohibition at the national level.

“If all the three steps – demonetisation, crackdown on ‘benami’ properties and imposition of prohibition – are taken in tandem, the country would forge ahead of even China,” he said. BJP chief Amit Shah had praised Nitish for his stand on Sunday. FM Arun Jaitley made the first call to Nitish and spoke to others only later to form a sub-committee of CMs on cashless economy.

JD(U) sources, however, said although there was no immediate threat to the Bihar coalition, Nitish remains concerned about the law and order situation and expects allies to show the same sensitivity. “Coalition remains intact, but windows in politics are never shut,” said a JD(U) leader.