‘Feel Free To Leave,’ Congress To Lalu Says Nitish Minister
PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, attacked by members of ally Lalu Yadav’s RJD, has found support from the Congress, the third partner in their alliance.
“The RJD is free to leave the government if it does not like Nitish Kumar’s leadership,” said Bihar’s education minister and the Congress’ state chief Ashok Chaudhury today, chastising Lalu Yadav’s party for attacking Mr Kumar from within.
That, Mr Choudhury said, was “sending the wrong signal.”Former RJD lawmaker Mohammad Shahabuddin’s scathing comment on Nitish Kumar being a “circumstantial chief minister” was closely followed by a very senior leader of the party Raghuvansh Prasad Singh grumbling about having had to accept Mr Kumar in the top post as part of a coalition formula.
Their attack laid bare fault lines in a partnership between once bitter rivals Lalu and Nitish, scripted solely to defeat the BJP in last year’s assembly elections. The RJD had opposed naming Mr Kumar as presumptive chief minister for their Grand Alliance, suggesting that a leader be picked only after the elections.
The Congress’ Rahul Gandhi had intervened at the time and ensured that Nitish Kumar led the alliance. The RJD is clearly still smarting, especially after it won more seats than Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) in the assembly elections.
Lalu Yadav, meanwhile, returned to Patna today and pronounced that all was well with the ruling alliance. He blamed the media for creating differences and also said, “I don’t know why Raghuvansh Prasad Singh keeps issuing statements despite my advising him not to”.
But the RJD chief also took a dig at the JDU for the press conference its top leaders held yesterday in a counter attack on the RJD. “I will talk to all the leaders why they keep on issuing press statements against each other,” he said.
Lalu Yadav cannot contest elections or hold an official position because he was convicted in a corruption case. His son Tejaswi is Nitish Kumar’s deputy in Bihar and the other son Tej Pratap a minister.
