Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday said he had never said Nitish Kumar was a bad Chief Minister, but said out of “political ambition” he pushed Bihar into turmoil by severing ties with the BJP against people’s mandate.
“Even if he does sit up holding his ears for 10 times people of Bihar will never forgive him for pushing the State into turmoil by going against people’s mandate in 2010 and severing ties with BJP,” Sushil Modi said addressing a function of a private TV here.
On RJD president Lalu Prasad, Sushil Modi said he knows him for longer than his wife Rabri Devi does and can say with full conviction that “he can never mend his ways”.
“Rabri Devi came to know him only after marriage, but I know him since days in student politics. I can say with full conviction that he can never mend his ways,” Sushil Modi said.
Asked about his impression about Nitish Kumar, Sushil Modi, who was deputy chief minister in the NDA rule, borrowed a past comment of Lalu Prasad to say that “there is nobody left whom Kumar has not cheated.”
Asked to comment why BJP was “soft” towards Janadhikar party leader and MP Pappu Yadav and whether his party would take his help for formation of government, Sushil Modi said it is an “imaginative question.”
“Our target is very clear to win 185 plus seats and form a stable government in Bihar. We will form government with the help of allies and would not need anybody’s assistance,” Sushil Modi, said.
Asked about Chief Minister Nitish Kumar cancelling a dinner for BJP leaders on the issue of Narendra Modi and why he did not he react angrily over it at that time, Sushil Modi said, “How can I protest being a minister in the government? But, you can ask anybody about my reaction over it within the party?”
Asked why did not he work for severing ties with Nitish Kumar at that time over the episode, he said, “I did not have the ‘aukat’ (strength) to take such a decision alone.
Alliance with JD (U) was a decision of BJP Parliamentary board to which we all were binded.”
The party decided to continue the alliance “swallowing its anger” so that Lalu Prasad do not return to power, he said.
He denied that he had worked against actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha which the actor alleged and threw a challenge to show any piece of evidence where Sinha took his name. - PTI
