Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar Saturday slammed BJP and accused the saffron party of starting a new tradition in politics by poaching five JDU MLAs in Manipur. Furious over the setback in Manipur Nitish disclosed that they were coming to Bihar to meet him but before their arrival in Patna, the BJP forcefully took them away from JDU.
“Day before yesterday, they had informed me that all six MLAs who had won in Manipur were coming to Patna to meet me but before their arrival, the BJP forcefully took them away from JDU. What kind of behaviour is this? What kind of work is this? Has such a thing ever happened before? The BJP has started a new tradition of taking away the MLAs,” Nitish said outside the party office when the JDU state working committee meeting and national executive committee meeting was underway in Patna.
“After the result in Manipur, all the MLAs who had won the election had come down to Patna to meet me. When we took the decision to walk out of the alliance with BJP, they expressed their happiness over the decision. Now see what they are doing and taking aways MLAs. When we were in alliance, did they (read BJP) give anything to our MLAs? Never, now they are taking away our MLAs. Is this constitutional by taking away MLAs of other parties? Is that right?” he asked.
On Friday, the Bihar Chief Minister had attacked BJP over his corruption remarks. Nitish had hit back at the PM alleging that BJP was responsible for defection. JDU minister on other hand claimed that BJP may poach their MLAs but the vote bank was "intact" in Manipur.
“Manipur episode will not make any difference in our vote bank. BJP may have taken our MLAs but the vote bank is intact. The people of Manipur who like Nitish ji cannot be taken away by the BJP,” said Ashok Choudhry, a minister in Nitish's government. JDU parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha alleged that since day one, the BJP was engaged in destroying JDU.
“We have been telling this for a long time that BJP was engaged in destroying our party from day one. We had felt this while being in NDA and in today's scenario it has been proved. It is an old habit of BJP to destroy opposition parties. It is but obvious that their attack will further sharpen against us because we are no more with them. However, we are ready to face them and BJP cannot do anything in Bihar,” Kushwaha said.
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All these leaders had gathered here to take part in the state working committee meeting and the national executive meeting in the backdrop of Nitish Kumar’s recent political move seen as an effort to consolidate the opposition. RJD minister Alok Mehta termed the incident a danger to the democracy and federal structure.
JDU national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh accused BJP of using money power in the Manipur episode.
“What happened in Manipur is the complete use of money power by the BJP. These days PM Modi is changing the definition of corruption and virtue. Those who are using money power are called virtue and the opposition who are coming together for the 2024 election is termed corruption. All tainted people who join the BJP become neat and clean. Let them try but I must say that JDU will become a national party by 2023,” Singh said.
BJP Rajya Sabha leader and former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi termed the Manipur episode as a revolt in the JDU after Nitish switched his side to RJD.
“On the eve of JDU national executive committee meeting, a revolt has taken place in the Manipur unit of JDU as they were unhappy with the decision of Nitish Kumar to snap ties with BJP and form the government with RJD and Congress. With the decision of Nitish Kumar, several other state units of JDU are going to face the revolt. Now Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur have become JDU free,” Sushil Modi said.
He further said, “In days to come Lalu Yadav will also break JDU and Bihar JDU free. A good number of JDU MLAs will join RJD, Congress and BJP. The allegation of Lalan Singh is equally baseless.”
