“Once Pramod Mahajan and I were travelling during the elections. Suddenly our helicopter collided with an electric wire and we were scared that we might die. But the pilot told us not to worry because there was no electricity there. Today there is 100 percent domestic electrification in Bihar.” In the year 2020, KC Tyagi mentioned this in an interview while narrating the story of Nitish Kumar’s development. After 48 years, clouds of doubts have started hovering over the alliance. On Sunday, a news raised the political temperature from Delhi to Patna. Senior Janata Dal United leader KC Tyagi resigned from the post of national spokesperson. As soon as this news came, there was a stir in all the political parties. JDU has given the responsibility of national spokesperson to Rajiv Ranjan in his place. KC Tyagi, who was associated with the socialist movement, has been considered important for JDU and Nitish Kumar. From Sharad Yadav to Lalan Singh, whoever has been the president of JDU, KC Tyagi has always been included in the core team. But what happened that KC Tyagi had to leave the post of national spokesperson.
Also read: KC Tyagi resigned from the post of JDU national spokesperson due to personal reasons, Rajiv Ranjan Prasad got the responsibility
Chandrasekhar’s offer to become Information and Broadcasting Minister was also turned down
In KC Tyagi’s time, there used to be bigger leaders than Nitish Kumar. KC Tyagi had taken forward the ideology of socialism from Janata Dal United. In 1974, he held a high position in Chaudhary Charan Singh’s party Lok Dal. In 1979, he was a Lok Sabha MP. But it was dissolved after 16 months. Before this, he opposed the Emergency along with George Fernandes. Emergency was repealed in 1977 and KC Tyagi’s stature started increasing. At one time, Tyagi and Sharad Yadav used to be leaders of the same stature. But suddenly their graph started falling. After the implementation of Mandal Commission, Sharad Yadav’s graph went up and KC Tyagi, who came from an upper caste, could not get the position in politics that he deserved. At one time, KC Tyagi was very powerful during Mulayam Singh’s tenure. He was not in SP, yet he had a say in the capital. It is said that KC Tyagi’s political stature could have increased further. But he was unfit in the politics of backward card. KC Tyagi, who had promised to support VP Singh, had once turned down Chandrashekhar’s proposal to become the Information and Broadcasting Minister. Pramod Mahajan had even offered him to contest elections from Meerut in 2004. But KC Tyagi turned down this too in his desire to always remain a socialist. KC Tyagi was able to reach the House twice. First time in 1989 he was sent to the Lok Sabha and then in 2013 he was sent to the Rajya Sabha for three years. He never held any big post in the government but his place in the organization was always intact.
Also read: Crack in NDA over Israel! Nitish Kumar’s party stands with the opposition, says India should stop the supply of weapons
Why did you leave the post of spokesperson?
Political experts are saying that KC Tyagi had made political statements on many issues by deviating from the party line. Be it the central government’s foreign policy, lateral entry, Supreme Court’s decision on SC/ST reservation. He presented his personal views as the party’s views. Which damaged the party’s image. It is believed that sitting in Delhi and commenting on every issue proved costly for KC Tyagi. It is believed that he used to express his opinion on every issue fearlessly and the JDU leadership sitting in Patna could not tolerate this. The party has said that he has resigned from the post of JDU’s national spokesperson due to personal reasons. KC Tyagi is known for his outspoken statements. Recently, KC Tyagi had supported the opposition parties on stopping the supply of weapons to Israel. He had signed a joint statement with the opposition parties. It was said in this statement that the central government should stop the supply of weapons and ammunition to Israel.
Such steps have already been taken
In March 2023, KC Tyagi looked like an old man out in the organizational structure of JDU, which was completely formed. JDU removed KC Tyagi from the post of general secretary and spokesperson of the party. Saying that he himself had asked for relief from the responsibility. Then it was also discussed that this was the first time since the formation of JDU that KC Tyagi was excluded from the team of national office bearers. He was even out of the list of spokespersons. But just two months later in the month of May, Nitish Kumar showed confidence in KC Tyagi in the campaign for opposition unity, wanting to take advantage of his experience. The socialist background of JDU leader KC Tyagi also became a reason. Since Tyagi is a very old and experienced leader of the socialist stream, he could be used to help bring the socialists on one platform, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Both of them met at Nitish Kumar’s Delhi residence, and that is what happened. JDU also honoured KC Tyagi’s experience by giving him the post of special advisor and chief spokesperson in the party.
Has Nitish put you on some big mission?
If political experts are to be believed, KC Tyagi has been promoting Nitish’s thinking in Delhi. Can any leader go beyond the party line and say anything and even if he does, the party members immediately deny it and say that this is beyond the party line. The party has nothing to do with this statement. But the statements of KC Tyagi, which are being referred to in the media to claim that he has left the post of national spokesperson, nothing like this was seen from JDU. The biggest question is whether BJP is happy with Tyagi’s resignation? The thing to note is that after KC Tyagi’s resignation, no big leader of BJP has given any statement. In such a situation, is BJP also keeping an eye on JDU’s politics and Nitish’s maneuvers. BJP feels that now Nitish can take a big decision. It is possible that he can come out of NDA. People of India are also alert about what Nitish Kumar does next. The thing to note is that elections are to be held in four states. Elections have been announced in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. Elections are to be held here at the end of this month. After this, elections are to be held in Maharashtra and Jharkhand as well. It is possible that elections in Bihar and Delhi may also be held this year. Nitish Kumar also wants this. The market of speculations also says that Nitish may have put Tyagi on some big mission. Has Tyagi’s role increased now to coordinate with the India Alliance?
