Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party after five of the six Janata Dal (United) legislators in Manipur joined the ruling BJP in the northeastern state, accusing the former ally of poaching MLAs of other parties.
Kumar also questioned the propriety and constitutionality of the alleged poaching by the BJP.
“Is it proper? Is it constitutional? Is it in line with established norms?” Kumar told reporters at the party office in Patna, where the party’s two-day national executive meeting is underway. “They (the BJP) are doing so everywhere. Hence all parties must unite in 2024 for a positive mandate.”
The JD(U)legislators in Manipur switched sides nearly a month after Nitish Kumar severed ties with the BJP-led NDA in Bihar and formed the Mahagathbandhan government in alliance with six other parties, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress and Left parties.
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The Bihar CM, who is being pitched for a “national” role by his party and a political resolution in this regard was also passed at the JD(U) conclave on Saturday, said all JD(U) Manipur legislators had confirmed their presence at the national executive meeting, and earlier supported the party’s decision to quit the NDA.
{{/usCountry}}The Bihar CM, who is being pitched for a “national” role by his party and a political resolution in this regard was also passed at the JD(U) conclave on Saturday, said all JD(U) Manipur legislators had confirmed their presence at the national executive meeting, and earlier supported the party’s decision to quit the NDA.
{{/usCountry}}“When we were in NDA, they (BJP) gave our MLAs nothing. Now they have been won over,” claimed Kumar, in an apparent reference to poaching by the BJP.
Without mincing words, JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh alleged that the move in Manipur was in line with the BJP’s “previous attempts in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Jharkhand”.
“Even when we were allies, they did the same in Arunachal Pradesh. Now, we are out of the alliance, yet they have done the same,” he told reporters. “They will only learn in 2024. They are panicky for 2024 and resorting to such tactics in every state — be it Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi or Jharkhand. But people are also watching.”
Ahead of the party’s national executive, it suffered a setback on Friday when five of its six legislators in Manipur joined the ruling BJP. The JD(U) contested 38 out of the total 60 seats in the Manipur assembly elections earlier this year.
Lilong MLA Mohammad Nasir is the only legislator left in the JD(U) at the moment.
In 2020, six of the seven JD(U) legislators in Arunachal Pradesh had joined the BJP, and the remaining one too followed his previous colleagues last month.
Dismissing the allegations, BJP Rajya Sabha member and former Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi claimed the JD(U) MLAs quit the party in revolt against Nitish Kumar’s betrayal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding more state units would revolt in the coming days.
“JD(U) MLAs revolted in Manipur against the decision of Nitish Kumar betraying Narendra Modi for his personal ambition and joining hands with the RJD,” the senior BJP leader claimed. “Blaming BJP for the split is like running away from the reality. The fact is that JD(U) MLAs left their party as they were not pleased with the decisions of Nitish Kumar.”
Taking a dig at the JD(U), he tweeted: “After Arunachal, Manipur is also JD(U)-free. Soon, (RJD president) Laluji will make Bihar JD(U)-free as well.”
Reacting to Sushil Modi’s “JDU-mukt” jibe, Lalan Singh said: “Let Sushil Modi sell daydreams to his central leadership. It may help him to come out of political wilderness.”
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The JD(U) executive meet endorsed the party’s decision to sever ties with the BJP and form a government with the RJD-led opposition due to constant attempts to weaken the party.
It also thanked Kumar for taking the decision to carry out caste-based survey in the state after the Centre turned down the request of the all-party delegation and vowed to be with the decision of the party leadership at every level. The political resolution for Kumar to play a bigger role in the uniting the Opposition across the country was also passed.
JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said the Manipur episode showed the BJP’s “character” today under PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah. Calling the BJP’s present functioning completely different from when the party was led by former PM (late) Atal Bihari Vajpayee and senior leader LK Advani, he added: “It is the character of the BJP now that it doesn’t want any other party to grow on its own strength.”
“Like Arunachal, they have repeated it in Manipur. But the whole country is watching it and the JD(U) will use people’s power to show them (the BJP) the mirror in 2024,” said the spokesperson.