Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Tuesday asserted that the newly formed NDA government will sail through the trust vote slated for next week and warned the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan of “stern action” if horse trading was attempted.
Choudhary, who also heads the BJP’s state unit, spoke to PTI here upon returning from Delhi, where in the last couple of days, he called on top leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“The BJP’s relationship with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) has matured over the past few decades, with a few bittersweet experiences in between. The synergy will be on display during the trust vote which we are bound to win,” said Choudhary. The government which was formed on January 28 is scheduled to seek vote of confidence on February 12, the inaugural day of the budget session.
Mahagathbandhan leaders, who are sore over the sudden loss of power caused by the JD(U) supremo’s volte-face, have been claiming that the day might see some upset with RJD leader Awadh Bihari Chaudhary still occupying the Speaker’s chair. However, the Deputy CM said, “It is only a matter of time before the Speaker, against whom all NDA MLAs have moved a no-confidence motion, is replaced. Either he will resign or face the ignominy of being voted out in the House where a majority of members do not have faith in him”.
The NDA, which also enjoys the support of former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi’s four-MLA-strong HAM and an Independent, has a combined strength of 128 in the assembly which has 243 members..
The Mahagathbandhan, which includes Congress and three Left parties besides RJD, has 114 members, eight short of majority. Besides, Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM has one MLA and though the party has not revealed its cards, it has been accusing the RJD of having poached four of its MLAs a couple of years ago.
Choudhary, however, made it clear that the government would take “stern action” if attempts were made to destabilise the government through horse trading.