'Shocked' at Nitish's realignment with BJP, JD(U) general secretary quits

JDU national general secretary Mohammed Ali Ashraf Fatmi on Tuesday quit the party, claiming that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumars recent realignment with the BJP has left him in a state of shock.Fatmi, who was earlier with the RJD, did not rule out the possibility of returning to that party, while admitting that he was looking forward to contesting the Lok Sabha polls from a seat of his choice.I had started my political career in the late 1980s when RJD president Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar and I were all together.

JD(U) national general secretary Mohammed Ali Ashraf Fatmi on Tuesday quit the party, claiming that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent realignment with the BJP has left him in a state of ''shock''.

Fatmi, who was earlier with the RJD, did not rule out the possibility of returning to that party, while admitting that he was looking forward to contesting the Lok Sabha polls from a seat of his choice.

''I had started my political career in the late 1980s when (RJD president) Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar and I were all together. Whatever may have taken place in between, I was pleased to see the two having sunk their differences and our party chief virtually declaring Tejashwi Yadav as his successor," Fatmi told PTI over phone.

''A fine coalition government was in place and Nitish Kumar was gaining traction as one of the leaders taking up cudgels against the BJP's hegemony. But, when he made the volte-face in January, I was shocked. He did not even devise any convincing reason for the step," he said.

Fatmi said since then he had been feeling uneasy and, finally, "to do justice to my own moral values, I gave up my party post and primary membership. I do admit that there is political consideration as well. I parted ways with RJD in 2019 when I did not get a chance to contest the Lok Sabha polls. I want to do so this time''.

The former Union minister, who has represented the Darbhanga Lok Sabha seat four times, said it was Madhubani, another constituency in north Bihar with significant Muslim population, that was his seat of choice five years ago and which he has set his eyes on this time as well.

The move comes a day after the NDA announced its seat-sharing formula for Bihar, where the BJP will contest 17 seats, including Darbhanga and Madhubani, bringing down the curtains on Fatmi's aspiration for a party ticket.

Replying to a query, he said, ''I have not spoken to Lalu ji after quitting the JD(U). But, we go back a long way. Even when I was not in his party, I kept meeting him to enquire about his health. We may meet in the near future. Everything will be made public''.

The development comes as a setback, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, to the party headed by the Bihar chief minister, who has been successful in winning away a section of Muslims.

The JD(U) reacted with vehemence, accusing Fatmi of ''betrayal''.

A press conference was held at the JD(U) office in response to his exit, which was jointly addressed by MLC Khalid Anwar, state president of minorities cell Ashraf Hussain and some other former legislators from the minority community.

The JD(U) leaders reminded Fatmi that he was politically ''rehabilitated'' by Nitish Kumar, who also gave party ticket, in the 2020 assembly polls, to his son Faraz, a former RJD MLA.

''It was not anybody else's fault that his son did not win. Fatmi had also been hoping for a Rajya Sabha ticket. Clearly, he was in the party for personal benefits. We would like to see how many takers he is left with, having been not just in RJD but also the BSP. "He even ran his own party for some time. Muslims know what Nitish Kumar has done for them. They will not be affected by weathercocks," said the JD(U) leaders.

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