Bihar Governor KN Tripathi’s decision to give Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi time until February 20 to prove his majority has triggered an all out war between the Janata Dal(U) and the BJP.
While senior JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “encouraging” horse-trading in Bihar and alleged that the Centre “pressurised” the Governor into giving a long rope to Manjhi, the BJP hit back saying Nitish Kumar’s charges were “baseless” and he was yet to recover from the drubbing he received from the BJP in the lok Sabha polls.
In a frontal attack on Modi, Kumar — who paraded 130 MlAs before President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday and demanded that the Governor order an immediate floor test — said that after meeting the Prime Minister, Manjhi has got a licence for “horse-trading.”
“The script of what is happening in Bihar was written after Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi met the Prime Minister in Delhi on February 8. All kinds of allurements are being offered to MlAs. They are being offered ministerial chairs and even BJP tickets,” Nitish Kumar told reporters in Delhi.
He accused the BJP of vitiating the political atmosphere in Bihar and throttling parliamentary democracy. “The BJP is desperate to impose President’s Rule in Bihar by hook or by crook,” he said in Patna after his return from Delhi.
“We have clear majority, still the Governor gave enough time to a Government running on the support of only 12 MlAs. Manjhi has been given time for horse-trading,” Nitish Kumar alleged and claimed that when they “met Governor Tripathi on February 9 he appeared convinced that we have the numbers, but now he has made this decision obviously at the behest of the BJP.”
Though Kumar refrained from naming Modi, he made his target clear. “I am talking about the same person you are mentioning again and again,” he said when asked if he was attacking the Prime Minister.
What the BJP is doing is a direct attack on democratic and constitutional norms and the people of Bihar will teach it a lesson similar to what voters in Delhi did, Kumar said, referring to the party’s debacle in Delhi Assembly polls. Bihar will go to polls later this year.
“First, the inordinate delay (by the Governor) in taking a decision and then giving Manjhi more time, show that it is being done according to the script written in Delhi and to give adequate time to encourage horse-trading. This has been decided at the highest level.” Kumar said before leaving for Patna.
The Governor’s decision for a floor test on February 20, the day the Budget Session of the State legislature has been convened, was as per the demand of Manjhi who also wanted a secret ballot. The Governor has ordered that the Assembly Speaker should conduct a lobby division or secret ballot and counting in presence of the members.
The Nitish Kumar camp heaved a sigh of relief when Patna High Court Chief Justice Narasimha Reddy clarified the order he gave on Wednesday. Former Advocate-General PK Shahi said that the court has not stayed the election of Nitish Kumar as the leader of the JD(U) legislature Party and it would have no impact on the internal decision of the JD(U). The next hearing on the case will be held on February 18.
Meanwhile, the BJP described Nitish Kumar’s charges as “baseless and untrue” and “without any proof.” Taking on Nitish Kumar, Telecom Minister and senior BJP leader from Bihar Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “I totally reject his baseless and malicious charge. It is unfortunate and shameful. BJP has nothing to do with this internal strife of JD(U).”
The BJP leader accused Kumar of indulging in “dirty politics” for his attack on constitutional chairs and said he should restrain his “craving for power” till February 20. “We did not expect a person of Nitish Kumar’s stature to stoop to this level but if he has made these allegations then he should provide proof,” said Prasad. “This is a desperate Nitish Kumar who has yet to come to terms with his conclusive defeat in Bihar,” he said. “Nitish Kumar was running the Government in Bihar through Jitan. When Jitan removed people close to Nitish, he got worried,” Prasad added.
Commenting on the issue, another BJP leader from Bihar, Shahnawaz Hussain said: “Nitish Kumar is indulging in dirty politics by pointing fingers at a constitutional authority. He is in the habit of criticising everybody. It seems he is too eager and is in a hurry to get power.”
In Patna, State BJP president Mangal Pandey said Nitish Kumar was himself a master of “horse- trading” and enacting political drama. Pandey also accused Assembly Speaker Uday Narain Chaudhary of taking illegal decisions under the influence of Nitish Kumar. But he refused to clarify his party’s stand on supporting the Manjhi Government and said it would be clear on the floor of the House.