Patna: Vikasheel Insan Party (VIP) supremo Mukesh Sahni is in the dock now after the Monday episode in which he had expressed his anger on alliance partners BJP and JDU. It is an embarrassing situation for Sahni as his own MLA Raju Kumar Singh called his act childish whereas former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi termed him immature.
On the first day of the monsoon session, NDA had called the legislature party meeting led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in which the leaders of JDU, BJP, and HAM were present. However, VIP led by Mukesh Sahni skipped that important meeting citing the reason of being neglected by BJP and JDU in the NDA.
Today, Sahni faced the wrath of the act in terms of his own MLA Raju Singh criticising him and opined that the party supremo should have not skipped the NDA meeting. He also alleged that Sahni rarely listens to the suggestions of other MLAs of the party before making any decisions.
"All the time Mukesh Ji says that nobody is listening to him in the NDA. If this is the situation why doesn't he take any stand on it? He is not taking any stand and simultaneously getting upset like a small child, this is not acceptable. How long will he tell the same old stories that nobody is listening to him? People of Bihar will not accept such excuses," Singh asserted.
He further said, "It's very unfortunate that we did not attend the NDA meeting yesterday. We should have attended that meeting because that is the only platform where we get the opportunity to speak our minds. If Mukesh Ji says that his concerns are not listened to in NDA, he should directly speak to the CM. It is hard to digest that on one hand he is part of NDA and on other hand, he is talking like this. If his concerns are not handled properly then he should take some stand. All our four MLAs are there with him, he is our national President."
Sahni is serving as animal and fish resources department minister in Nitish's cabinet and is presently a member of the Bihar legislative council. His party VIP had contested the 2020 assembly poll on eleven seats in alliance with BJP and JDU. Despite losing the assembly poll from Simri Bakhtiyarpur in the Saharsa district, he was made a minister after his four candidates managed to win their respective assembly constituencies.
Raju Singh who represents the Sahebganj assembly seat is one of the most senior MLAs in the party apart from Sawarna Singh (Gaura Bauram), Mishri Lal Yadav (Alinagar) and Musafir Paswan (Bochahan).
On Monday, Sahni had called a press meet in which he pronounced that whenever there was a talk of NDA he only hears the name of two parties JDU and BJP but never about VIP and HAM. Sahni had categorically stated that his concerns were not listened to in NDA and the time has come that he and Manjhi must talk over this issue. Later in the Monday evening, Sahni visited Manjhi's residence but today Manjhi slammed the VIP chief terming him immature.
"Whatever Mukesh Sahni Ji said, he should have talked about all those matters at the forum of NDA not in the media. The way he is issuing statements shows his political immaturity," Manjhi said.
On Sunday, Sahni was not allowed to enter Varanasi and he was put in custody by the Uttar Pradesh administration where he had gone to inaugurate the statue of bandit queen turned politician Phoolan Devi. The VIP chief had expressed his anger on UP CM Yogi Adtiyanath on Monday during the press meet.