Patna (Bihar): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Chhedi Paswan while attacking Janta Dal United (JDU) leader and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that JDU "blackmails" BJP on issues including the special status of Bihar and caste census in the state. Paswan said that Nitish Kumar "can even join hands with Dawood Ibrahim to remain in the chair of the Chief Minister".
"BJP is a bigger party in Bihar thus when Nitish Kumar completes 2.5 years as the Chief Minister, a new Chief Minister from BJP should be appointed for the remaining term," Paswan told ETV Bharat. BJP, he said, should have contested Bihar Assembly elections 2020 on its own as it could have won the majority and there would have been no utility of Nitish Kumar. BJP is the largest party in Bihar with 74 MLAs while JDU stands at third position.
Paswan said that Nitish Kumar has become chief minister with the support of BJP "yet our leaders and workers have been neglected as their demands are not heard". JDU has been pressurizing BJP, he said. In the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar, there are constant conflicts between BJP and JDU on issues of the ban on alcohol, caste census and the special status of the state.
