JD(U) submits letter of support to the Bihar Governor, backs Nitish Kumar as CM
Patna: A delegation of JD(U) leaders and its allies on Sunday submitted letters of support to the governor's office. The letter claimed that Nitish Kumar enjoyed support of 130 MLAs.
Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi was asked to resign by JDU on the ground that he failed in the number game on Saturday. National President of JD (U) Sharad Yadav wrote a letter to Manjhi asking him to resign from the Chief Minister ship on Sunday while he was still in New Delhi to attend the maiden meeting of Niti Ayog to present Bihar’s case.
JD(U) legislators along with the coalition partners RJD and Congress submitted the letter of support to the Governor’s secretariat to officially inform him that they had the sufficient numbers to form the government. Meanwhile the speaker of Bihar assembly too gave his approval for the new leader of the house, making Nitish Kumar’s way to the post more easier.
“We submitted the letter of support from the MLAs and our coalition partners who chose Nitish Kumar on Saturday during JD (U) Legislative party meeting. The leaders of RJD, Congress other like minded leaders of different coalition partners informed the Governor that they want Nitish Kumar to take over as the chief minister. We have staked our claim”, state President Basisth Narayan Singh said.
He said that the they were in regular touch with the governor and has been informed that the 20 ministers of Manjhi cabinet too had put in their papers within couple of hours of the JD (U) LP meeting.
“On the basis of the number 130 in a House of 243 members we staked claim to form the government tomorrow after the governor reaches Patna and if he wants we are also ready to parade the MLAs in front of him. Nitish Kumar is our leader and there is no doubt about it”, senior JD(U) leader Vijay Choudhary said.
The JD(U) leaders while celebrating the comeback of Nitish Kumar categorically accused Manjhi of acting at the behest of BJP and tried to divide the party. “His meetings with BJP leaders in New Delhi are enough to indicate that how they had been guiding him to create a divide in JD(U). They [BJP] used money power as well but they failed in their attempt”, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said.
Amid all these developments Nitish Kumar through social media sternly warned BJP for their regular effort to get the assembly dissolved. He while updating his status said that if BJP tried to insult the democracy they would make a huge mistake as the majority was in favor of him. JD(U) sources informed that Nitish Kumar has asked the MLAs to remain at the gate of the governor house on Monday and could visit governor house along with RJD supremo Lalu Yadav.
The BJP leaders asserting that the party has nothing to do with internal matter of JD(U) said leaders of JD(U) have started mounting pressure on Jitan Ram Manjhi to resign as he seemed to have the numbers in his favor. According to sources the leaders of BJP were also in two minds whether to support him or not. BJP was more interested in forcing an early polls rather than supporting him to remain in power.
The sources said that BJP had indicated Manjhi before the legislative party meeting that if he wanted the support of the BJP he should have the proper numbers on his side. In a major development Sunday afternoon MLA Bharti lodged a complaint in the local police station that she was being regularly harassed and threatened by a minister Vinay Bihari seeking support for Jitan Ram Manjhi. Minister Vinay Bihar has however refuted the charges.
“Her charges are baseless and I dare her to prove that I had called her, I had visited her on her invitation and when we met she said that though Mr. Manjhi was a good soul I shouldn’t support him because I owe a lot to Nitish Kumar and I have to pay for the favors by supporting him”, Minister Vinay Bihari, said.
