Sonia Gandhi’s Reported ‘Traitor’ Remark on Nitish Kumar Sparks JD(U) Backlash

Reports about an exchange involving Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar at a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting have sparked a political row, with Janata Dal (United) leaders criticising Gandhi’s reported remarks.

The New Indian Express reported that Gandhi called Kumar a “traitor” during the meeting in Delhi on September 29. Other media accounts described the exchange differently, saying Gandhi responded to Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s comments about Kumar leaving the INDIA bloc by saying, “Thank God, Nitish Kumar left,” or that he was bound to leave anyway. The precise wording has not been independently confirmed.

Digvijaya Singh reportedly said the INDIA bloc should not have let Kumar leave in 2024. The discussion centred on Kumar’s departure from the opposition alliance and whether the bloc could have handled the situation differently.

Union minister and JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh, known as Lalan, criticised Gandhi in a post on X. He called the reported remarks “objectionable,” accused the Congress of “destroying democracy during Emergency,” and said Kumar was “adored by his people” and did not need Sonia Gandhi’s “certificate.”

Lalan also said that democracy had grown stronger under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that the country was moving towards prosperity.

JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha gave a more measured response when journalists asked him about the reported exchange. “I do not know what has been said by whom,” he said.

Referring to media reports, Jha said the Congress appeared to have realised Kumar’s value belatedly. He urged INDIA bloc partners to remember Kumar’s role in bringing opposition leaders together, saying Kumar had travelled across the country and invited leaders to the Patna meeting where the idea of a new coalition was conceived.

Kumar broke with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2022 and formed a Bihar government with support from the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Left parties. He played a prominent role in the formation of the INDIA bloc. In January 2024, he left the opposition alliance and returned to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The New Indian Express report said dissatisfaction over alliance partners’ reluctance to name him convener was a factor in his decision.

The exchange has renewed debate over Kumar’s changing alliances and his role in opposition coalition politics. The exact wording and context of Gandhi’s reported remarks remain disputed across media accounts.