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BIG STORY FEBRUARY 09, 2024 | The Indian Eye 4

INDIA BLOC

FALLING

APART?

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar goes back to BJP-led NDA. Jharkhand Chief Minister

Hemant Soren lands in jail. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launches

attack on Congress. Can the Opposition alliance survive till the elections?

OUR BUREAU

New Delhi/Patna/Lucknow
he Indian National Develop-
mental Inclusive Alliance (IN-
TDIA) bloc was launched last
year with much fanfare and expec-
tations. The Congress party’s victory
in the Karnataka assembly elections
gave a big boost to the chances of all
opposition parties coming together to
take on the BJP-led National Demo-
cratic Alliance in the 2024 general
elections.
But the opposition alliance has
been floundering in recent weeks.
And this week it got two serious
jolts. First, JMM leader and former
chief minister of Jharkhand, Hemant
Soren, was sent to five-day custody of
the Enforcement Directorate by the
High Court in connection with an al-
leged land scam case. Hemant Soren
was arrested by the ED after several
summons in the alleged land scam
case and several hours of questioning
on Wednesday night.
Earlier, in a bigger setback, Bi-
har Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
dumped the INDIA bloc and went
back to NDA. Nitish Kumar on Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar being greeted by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda after taking oath as Bihar
Wednesday said that now he will stay
in the National Democratic Alliance Chief Minister for ninth time, at Raj Bhavan, in Patna on Sunday (ANI)
(NDA) forever and will continue to
work for the people of his state. Hit- choose another one. “I was urging reporters. the ninth time in Raj Bhawan, Patna,
ting out at the opposition’s group- them to choose another name for He said, “Then I left them and switching sides again, this time with
ing, which has vowed to take on the the alliance. But they had already fi- came back to who I was with initially. the BJP-led National Democratic Al-
BJP at the Centre in the upcoming nalized it. I was trying so hard. They Now I will stay here forever. I will keep liance (NDA).
Lok Sabha polls, Kumar said that did not do even one thing. Till today working for the people of Bihar.” It was for the second time in two
the alliance’s name --INDIA-- was they haven’t decided which party will Earlier, Nitish Kumar took the years that Nitish Kumar had jumped
christened even after his requests to contest how many seats,” Kumar told oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for Continued on next page... >>

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