The Janata Dal (United) on Thursday expelled five MPs, including senior leader and outgoing Rajya Sabha member Shivanand Tiwari, for “anti-party” activity. The others are Captain Jai Narain Nishad (from Muzaffarpur), Purnmasi Ram (Gopalganj), Sushil Kumar Singh (Aurangabad) and Mangani Lal Mandal (Jhanjharpur).
In the expulsion letter, issued in New Delhi by general secretary and spokesman K.C. Tyagi, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav said the five were barred from the party “with immediate effect.” Mr. Nishad, Mr. Ram and Mr. Mandal were already under suspension, Mr. Tyagi told The Hindu.
Mr. Tiwari, who has been critical of the functioning of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, was denied renomination to the Rajya Sabha. On Thursday, he even blamed Mr. Kumar for “engineering” the recent split in Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal. But the Chief Minister refused to react, saying Mr. Tiwari’s views held no importance to him.
Sources indicated that the RJD might now woo the senior socialist leader, a former colleague of Mr. Prasad.
“For a long time now, it was made clear to me that there was no place for me in the party. First I was removed from the special category campaign committee and then as party spokesperson. I was not renominated [to the Rajya Sabha]. But the way I have been expelled is unjust,” Mr. Tiwari told The Hindu in Patna.
At a JD(U) meeting last year, he praised BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Mr. Kumar’s presence.
As for the other expelled MPs, there are indications that Mr. Singh and Mr. Nishad may join the BJP. While Mr. Singh has met BJP chief Rajnath Singh, Mr. Nishad earlier performed a yagna for Mr. Modi.