Patna: The BJP on Thursday suspended two party MLAs in Bihar Awanish Kumar Singh and Rana Gangeshwar Singh for alleged anti-party activities, who immediately reacted and were all praise for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
"We have suspended our two MLAs Awanish Kumar Singh and Rana Gangeshwar Singh with immediate effect for anti-party activities," state BJP president Mangal Pandey told PTI. Taking note of their anti-party activities over a long period, the party leadership was left with no other option, but to suspend them from the party, Pandey said.
Their statements in the media went against the ideological grain and guideline for conduct of leaders and workers, he said. The two had openly attacked the party and its leadership ever since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar parted ways with the NDA to protest his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi's elevation in the BJP in June last year.
The two had met Kumar on many occasions and had showered praise on his leadership and supported his candidature for the Prime Minister's post. Pandey said the activities of all party workers were under the scanner and action would be taken against anyone indulging in anti-party activities.
The two suspended BJP legislators reacted angrily to the party decision and praised the chief minister. Awnish Kumar Singh, MLA from Chiranya in East Champaran district, told PTI "BJP which used to claim itself of being a party with a difference has today become a party of one individual (Narendra Modi) giving up its ideology.
The bad days of BJP have started." Praising the chief minister, he said, "Kumar is leader of all castes and creeds ... while only workers of BJP have faith on Narendra Modi the country has faith in Nitish Kumar."
Party colleague Rana Ganeshwar Singh, BJP MLA from Mohiuddinnagar in Samastipur district spoke in a similar vein. "For sake of Nitish Kumar I am prepared to make any sacrifice like Bhagat Singh did for the country," he toldPTI.
"Kumar has taken Bihar on path of development which nobody can ignore ... I spoke the truth which my party BJP could not digest," he said. The two did not disclose whether they would join the JD(U), but their lavish praise of Kumar was significant.
