Oppn looks to keep flock intact, says won’t give NDA a walkover in House

Legislators of the Grand Alliance in Bihar are staying in different parts of Patna to keep their numbers intact ahead of a crucial trust vote.

Legislators of the Grand Alliance remained holed up in different parts of Patna on Sunday as the Opposition attempted to keep its flock intact ahead of the crucial trust vote with its leaders saying that they don’t intend to give a walkover to the ruling alliance, which, on the face of it, appeared to have the required numbers.

Police outside former Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav’s in Patna India, on Sunday (Santosh Kumar/ HT)

On Sunday night, a team of Patna police reached former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav’s residence, where 79 lawmakers from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and 16 from three Left parties had been staying since Saturday, after the family of one of the RJD leaders filed a complaint saying he was untraceable. The police left after the leader, Chetan Anand said that he was staying there on his own accord, people aware of the matter said.

“You can see me here, outside Tejashwi Yadav’s house, with my alliance partners. All the MLAs are here together voluntarily, out of solidarity. We are not like those who go into a huddle, calling it a training workshop. We are also unlike those who host a luncheon only to find that many are not turning up,” party’s national spokesperson Manoj Jha said, dismissing speculation that the lawmakers were being forcibly held.

The 19 Congress MLAs, who were moved to Hyderabad, returned to the Bihar capital.

“We will go home after the vote in the assembly,” said a party legislator, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Bihar assembly speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary, an RJD leader, is facing a no-confidence motion, moved by the ruling alliance. After the customary address of Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the state assembly is slated to decide on the no-confidence motion against the Speaker before taking up the floor test. The motion against the Speaker needs to be backed by 122 of the state’s 243 MLAs for his removal. The NDA currently has 128 state legislators in its fold.

“Tomorrow, the MLAs would have to choose between two Gandhis. One is just an image inscribed on currency notes. The other was a living epitome of truth who had uttered the name of Lord Ram upon being felled by an assassin’s bullets,” Jha said.