Fernandes keeps party feud going

The petition by state unit party leader P.K. Sinha to the Commission is seen as retaliation by the George Fernandes camp in the wake of removal of Fernandes nominee Raghunath Prasad Jha as the state party chief about a month back. Jha’s continuation was fiercely opposed by Nitish Kumar and it had even threatened a split in Samata Party. That time Fernandes, as a last resort, had persuaded Jha to resign. However, this had merely helped tide over the crisis.

P.K. Sinha, who had been sacked by Nitish Kumar as party spokesman, is again a Fernandes loyalist. Analysts say Sinha’s petition symbolises a ‘‘re-assertion’’ by the Fernandes camp within the Samata Party in Bihar.

Sinha in his petition has challenged the dissolution of the party’s state committee by Nitish Kumar. ‘‘Kumar, even without any authority whatsoever in the party organisation except being a senior leader and MP, dissolved the duly elected state committee and also announced to form an adhoc committee in its place in the most fascist manner,’’ he said in the petition.

However sources said the rivalries would only erupt further as Raghunath Jha has threatened to stage a show of strength in Patna on February 15. Srivastava said the party had no information about it.

Both Fernandes and Nitish Kumar being away to Bihar, party leaders confessed that repeated eruptions of infighting in the party does not seem to end soon. There are no apparent efforts to bring about re-conciliation between supporters of these two Central ministers, sources said.