Opposition leaders accuse BJP of using muscle, money and machinery to win Bihar RS polls

Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) chief Rajesh Ram alleged that the BJP has taken recourse to Vidhayak-chori (theft of the legislators)

Leader of the opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of pursuing the politics of intimidation and resorting to misuse of muscle power, machinery and money power to hijack the Rajya Sabha seats.

RJD Rajya Sabha candidate Amrendra Dhari Singh speaks to the media after party his loss in the Rajya Sabha elections on Monday. (Santosh Kumar/HT)

Reacting to crushing defeat of the opposition’s candidate Amarendra Dhari Singh in the fray for the fifth RS seat, Yadav, also the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader, said that his party and he would continue fighting ‘unethical’ politics of the BJP till the end. “There was an end to the demon King Ravana, who was once the most powerful and learned person. But, at last, he fell victim to an arrow,” said the RJD leader.

Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) chief Rajesh Ram alleged that the BJP has taken recourse to Vidhayak-chori (theft of the legislators) to win the RS polls after wresting the assembly elections through vote-chori. “Our three legislators are not reachable. Let them come in contact, then I will be able to say on the design, which the BJP has successfully used in Maharashtra, Punjab, Odisha, etc,” added Ram.

Three legislators of the Congress party, Manohar Prasad (Manihari), Manoj Biswas (Forbesganj) and Surendra Kushwaha (Valmiki Nagar) along with RJD’s Dhaka legislator Faisal Rahman did not turn up for voting for RS polls at the Bihar Vidhan Sabha till the evening.

Taking jibe at the absence of Mahagathbandhan (MGB) legislators, Janata Dal (United) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha said that they were confident about the victories of all National Democratic Alliance (NDA) five candidates. “What to talk about the Congress party, which has failed to project its own house. The Congress legislators hardly trust their leadership,” said the JD(U) leader.

RJD nominee AD Singh alleged that it’s a clear case of horse trading, where democratic processes are made to defeat. “I have lost the elections after winning it,” claimed Singh. RJD’s Kumar Sarvajeet alleged that the victory of NDA candidates was a blatant display of how the BJP has been money power to hijack democracy. “The MGB legislators, who skipped the voting, needed to answer to the people who elected them,” said Sarvajeet.

A section of the senior Congress party leader wondered why All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Bihar Krishna Allavaru remained inactive throughout the elections, even though they were offered tickets to contest the assembly polls, ignoring the claims of bonafide party workers.

The RS elections ended with a clean sweep for the ruling NDA, which saw chief minister Nitish Kumar of JD(U), BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Union minister Ram Nath Thakur, Upendra Kushwaha (RLM chief) and BJP leader Shivesh Ram emerging victorious.