The four Lok Sabha members and former Rajya Sabha member Shivanand Tiwari, who were formally expelled from the ruling Janata Dal (United), had turned their backs on the party much before their expulsions on Thursday.
Three of these four Lok Sabha MPs -- Purnmasi Ram (Gopalganj), Jainarain Prasad Nishad (Muzaffarpur) and Manganilal Mandal (Jhanjharpur) – had been under suspension for a while.
The only addition to the list is Aurangabad MP Sushil Kumar Singh, who attracted action for openly expressing his preference for the BJP as the party on whose symbol he wanted to contest coming Lok Sabha poll.
But the one whose utterances undoubtedly precipitated the expulsions is Shivanand Tiwari, a man who prided himself as a 'senior' in politics to both, RJD president Lalu Prasad and chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Tiwari, who gained prominence in Patna university students' union politics much earlier that Lalu, has been vociferous in his direct attacks on Nitish, especially after he was denied re-nomination to the Rajya Sabha, last month.
"He accused Kumar of trying to get him defeated in the Lok Sabha poll for the Buxar seat, which he was offered instead of Rajya Sabha renomination. His utterances were getting increasingly embarrassing", said a JD (U) leader.
{{/usCountry}}"He accused Kumar of trying to get him defeated in the Lok Sabha poll for the Buxar seat, which he was offered instead of Rajya Sabha renomination. His utterances were getting increasingly embarrassing", said a JD (U) leader.
{{/usCountry}}The last straw apparently came when Tiwari, on Thursday, accused Kumar, of being instrumental in the controversial switch to the JD (U) of 13 RJD MLAs, several of whom subsequently denied petitioning the Speaker on this score.
JD (U) Lok Sabha MPs, Ram and Nishad, were suspended last year after they called on Gujarat Rajya Sabha MP Parshottam Rupala, regarded as close to Modi, at Rupala's New Delhi residence.
Similarly, Mandal was categorical he expected to be the RJD nominee from Jhajharpur, the north Bihar seat he hold in the present house as a nominee of the JD (U).
Nishad, who has changed many parties in recent years, told HT it had already been decided his son, Ajay Nishad, would be the BJP nominee from Muzaffarpur, the seat Nishad senior holds in the present house as a representative of the JD (U).