NEW DELHI: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday lashed out at the BJP for allegedly ‘poaching’ five of his six MLAs in Manipur.
Five JD(U) MLAs — Kh. Joykishan Singh, Ngursanglur Sanate, Md. Achab Uddin, Thangjam Arunkumar and L.M. Khaute — joined the ruling BJP in Manipur on Friday giving a big jolt to the Bihar CM and his party.
Talking to reporters at the party office in Patna, where a two-day national conclave is underway, Kumar questioned the propriety and constitutionality of the alleged poaching by his former ally. “Is it proper? Is it constitutional? Is it in line with established norms? They [BJP] are doing so everywhere. Hence all parties must unite in 2024 for a positive mandate,” said the JD(U) leader who is being pitched for a “national” role by his party.
“When we were in NDA, they (BJP) gave our MLAs nothing. Now they have been won over,” said Kumar, in what appeared to be a reference to horse trading.
JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh accused the BJP of using money power to coerce the MLAs into joining the party. “Whatever happened in Manipur was done by BJP using money power. For the PM, coming together of opposition parties is corruption. They can do whatever they want but JD(U) will become a national party by 2023.”
He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was changing the definition of corruption and virtue. “If the PM is using money power, then it is a virtue. If the opposition party is coming on one platform, then there is corruption,” Lallan said.
The JD(U) had won 6 of the 38 constituencies it had contested in the assembly elections held in the state in March. The BJP had secured 32 seats in the 60-member state assembly.
Manipur JD(U) free: Sushil Modi
Meanwhile, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday said that Manipur had become JD(U)-free.
Modi said he was confident that the BJP will very soon break the “mahagathbandhan” alliance of JD(U), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress in Bihar.
“Five JDU MLAs joined the BJP in Manipur, the state has become JDU-free. Those MLAs wanted to remain in the NDA. Very soon, we will break the JDU-RJD alliance in Bihar and make the state JDU free,” said Modi.
On August 25, the lone JD(U) MLA from Arunachal Pradesh, Techi Kaso, joined the BJP in the presence of national president JP Nadda and Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu. Six of Nitish Kumar’s MLAs in the state had joined the BJP in December 2020.
The latest political developments come just weeks after Nitish dumped the BJP and joined hands with Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD, the Congress and other parties to govern Bihar under a grand alliance.
(With inputs from agencies)
Five JD(U) MLAs — Kh. Joykishan Singh, Ngursanglur Sanate, Md. Achab Uddin, Thangjam Arunkumar and L.M. Khaute — joined the ruling BJP in Manipur on Friday giving a big jolt to the Bihar CM and his party.
Talking to reporters at the party office in Patna, where a two-day national conclave is underway, Kumar questioned the propriety and constitutionality of the alleged poaching by his former ally. “Is it proper? Is it constitutional? Is it in line with established norms? They [BJP] are doing so everywhere. Hence all parties must unite in 2024 for a positive mandate,” said the JD(U) leader who is being pitched for a “national” role by his party.
“When we were in NDA, they (BJP) gave our MLAs nothing. Now they have been won over,” said Kumar, in what appeared to be a reference to horse trading.
JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh accused the BJP of using money power to coerce the MLAs into joining the party. “Whatever happened in Manipur was done by BJP using money power. For the PM, coming together of opposition parties is corruption. They can do whatever they want but JD(U) will become a national party by 2023.”
He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was changing the definition of corruption and virtue. “If the PM is using money power, then it is a virtue. If the opposition party is coming on one platform, then there is corruption,” Lallan said.
The JD(U) had won 6 of the 38 constituencies it had contested in the assembly elections held in the state in March. The BJP had secured 32 seats in the 60-member state assembly.
Manipur JD(U) free: Sushil Modi
Meanwhile, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday said that Manipur had become JD(U)-free.
Modi said he was confident that the BJP will very soon break the “mahagathbandhan” alliance of JD(U), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress in Bihar.
“Five JDU MLAs joined the BJP in Manipur, the state has become JDU-free. Those MLAs wanted to remain in the NDA. Very soon, we will break the JDU-RJD alliance in Bihar and make the state JDU free,” said Modi.
On August 25, the lone JD(U) MLA from Arunachal Pradesh, Techi Kaso, joined the BJP in the presence of national president JP Nadda and Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu. Six of Nitish Kumar’s MLAs in the state had joined the BJP in December 2020.
The latest political developments come just weeks after Nitish dumped the BJP and joined hands with Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD, the Congress and other parties to govern Bihar under a grand alliance.
(With inputs from agencies)