As the Janata Dal (United) crisis raged on in Bihar, all eyes were on Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and incumbent Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. Both were in the national capital on Sunday to attend a reception to celebrate the wedding of the son of BJP president Amit Shah at 9 Ashoka Road, next door to the BJP headquarters.
Earlier, Mr. Tripathi called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Mr. Manjhi met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
JD(U) leader K.C. Tyagi, slamming Mr. Manjhi, told The Hindu that he was in Delhi to meet BJP leaders “to take directions” and “plot the next script of the political crisis in Bihar.” He also accused the BJP of plotting to impose President’s Rule in the State, if they lose the floor test on February 20.
Ever since Mr. Tripathi set February 20 as the date for the Manjhi government’s trust vote, the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and its allied parties have trained their guns on him. On Sunday, even as an effigy of Mr. Modi was burnt on the streets of Patna, leaders of the JD(U), the RJD, the Congress and the CPI, at a joint press conference in the city, held the Governor and the BJP responsible for pushing Bihar into “political and financial anarchy” because of “the time given by the Governor, at the BJP’s behest, to Mr. Manjhi for a trust vote on February 20.”
“The Governor is speaking the language of BJP leaders at the direction of the Central government in Delhi,” alleged State JD(U) chief Basistha Narayan Singh, while his RJD counterpart Ram Chandra Purve charged the Governor with backing the minority Manjhi government in “brazen disregard of constitutional propriety.”
State Congress president Ashok Chaudhury and CPI leader Jitendra Nath, too, took on the Governor and the BJP for their role in creating political instability in the State. “The Governor and the BJP are both implementing the RSS agenda by extending support to Mr. Manjhi during the trust vote,” Mr. Nath said.
“The Governor has made a mockery of the Constitution and the democratic process by giving such a long time to Jitan Ram Manjhi for the floor test,” State Congress president Ashok Chaudhury said.
Both the Congress and the CPI demanded that the Raj Bhavan take note of all populist announcements made by the Chief Minister in the last few days, as they would create “financial anarchy” in the State.”
All the populist announcements would put a burden of Rs. 50,000 crore on the State’s treasury,” Mr. Purve said.
On Saturday, the leaders marched to the Raj Bhavan to register their protest against Mr. Manjhi’s minority government’s slew of populist announcements.
