Ahead of the Assembly session in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday accused the Opposition of hatching conspiracies against him. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which suspended its MLA, Amarnath Gami, the day before, accused Mr. Kumar of horse-trading and also fuelled speculation of a rift in the Janata Dal (United).
“Nitish Kumar is trying to lure legislators by promising them plum postings. We have been saying for a long time that the JD (U) is indulging in horse-trading to wean away legislators. Mr. Kumar is using all possible horse-trading tactics,” Mangal Pandey, State BJP president, told a press conference on Monday.
In response to the claims of certain JD (U) leaders of being in touch with BJP and RJD leaders, Mr. Pandey said even the BJP was “in touch with” over a dozen JD (U) leaders.
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He pointed out that since the National Democratic Alliance split in Bihar, Mr. Kumar has not expanded the Cabinet.
“For the last one and a half months, he has been handling 18 departments. The day Mr. Kumar announces a Cabinet expansion, there will be a split in the JD (U),” Mr. Pandey said. He added that the law and order situation was worsening in the State.
He also blamed Mr. Kumar for “not uttering even a single word” on the midday meal tragedy.
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“You have 23 children dying and the State Chief Minister is silent. What is the reason?” he asked.
Asked why a show-cause was not given to Mr. Gami before his suspension, Mr. Pandey said a notice was given to seek clarification. “However, when everything was crystal clear, there was no need for a show-cause,” he said.
Meanwhile, in light of the Bodh Gaya blasts and the midday meal incident, Mr. Kumar said that Opposition parties were trying his mettle with their disruptive agendas.
“It is unfortunate that politics is being played out over the midday tragedy. This is a conspiracy against the government. The Opposition [BJP] has become restive after the split. They want to create unrest. Many untoward incidents are likely to happen in the future. The Bodh Gaya blast and the meal tragedy saw the RJD and the BJP come together. My mettle is being put to the test. I will survive this.” These remarks were read out by JD (U) spokespersons Rajiv Ranjan and Sanjay Singh, who conveyed Mr. Kumar’s statement at a press conference here. Mr. Kumar also accused the BJP of veering the country on the path of “extremism.” He assured that peace and law and order would prevail in Bihar.
Mr. Kumar met party legislators and leaders from six parliamentary constituencies. In August, the party planned to hold regular meeting to assess the political situation on the ground, the JD (U) said.