'Chair is panch parmeshwar...', says Bihar speaker, quits before Nitish's test

This morning, there were strident protests outside the Assembly building in Patna, with MLAs from both camps protesting against the other.

Shortly before Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his new ally - Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal - are to face a floor test, speaker and Bharatiya Janata Party leader VK Sinha, who had been served a no-confidence motion, resigned from his position. Sinha called the motion against him 'unclear' and claimed 'eight of nine letters were not as per rule' but stood down anyway. "The Chair is 'panch parmeshwar'. What message do you want to give by casting suspicions on the Chair? People will make a decision..." Sinha said as he quit.

At least 50 legislators of the Grand Alliance shot off a no-confidence notice on speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha soon after Nitish Kumar stepped down as the chief minister of the NDA government on August 9. (PTI)

He is expected to be replaced by Narendra Narayan Yadav of the ruling Janata Dal (United), who will lead the floor test of the new government.

In the uproar following the resignation, the Assembly was adjourned to 2 pm.

Yesterday Sinha was adamant that he would not resign.

"The notice received in the assembly secretariat seems to have ignored rules, provisions and parliamentary decorum. Being in the chair, it is my natural responsibility to reject such a notice," he said.

READ | Bihar speaker, Grand Alliance lock horns ahead of special session

This morning, though, he told the Assembly, "It had become incumbent upon me to respond to the motion. Some of the members moving the motion alleged that I had been undemocratic and dictatorial. This I cannot accept."

Before Sinha's speech there were strident protests outside the Assembly building in Patna, with MLAs from both camps protesting against the other.

Opposition lawmakers claimed a 'conspiracy to scare us through raids'.

That was after the Central Bureau of Investigation this morning raided the homes of three members of Nitish's new-found (again) ally, the RJD.

READ | CBI raids houses of 3 RJD leaders on day of assembly floor test

The raids are believed to be in connection with an alleged land-for-job scam, and also took place at locations in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand.

The raids also came days after Nitish Kumar broke ties with the BJP - with whose backing he had returned as chief minister in the 2020 assembly election.

READ | How a courtesy call from Nitish to Sonia Gandhi changed things

Exactly two weeks ago, after he was sworn in as chief minister at the head of the mahagathbandhan government, Nitish issued a warning to prime minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, saying, "Those who came to power in 2014, will they be victorious in 2024? I would like all (opposition) to be united for 2024…"

With input from ANI, PTI