The naming of Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav as accused number three in the FIR by the CBI and the subsequent raids on the RJD chief’s family has aggravated Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s woes and could well cast its shadow on the Mahagathbandhan Government in Bihar.
Nitish is already under pressure to act against lalu Prasad’s sons, with BJP leader Sushil Modi coming out regularly with new revelations of corruption against the RJD’s first family.
Nitish did not give any signals about his plans, whether he would drop Tejashwi from the Cabinet immediately, wait for a chargesheet to be filed against him or for that matter, not act against him at all. But as Nitish sat in the Rajgir, 100 km away from the State capital, the CBI raids spurred him into action as he summoned his close confidants, including Ministers and held meetings with them. He also met some top police and civil officials to discuss security measures apprehending violence by agitated RJD workers.
Nitish’s trip to Rajgir to recuperate after a bout of illness was also being attributed by some to his intention of avoiding meeting the Opposition’s presidential candidate Meira Kumar, who was in Patna to canvas support. It is also being speculated that he might have left Patna after an inkling about the CBI’s raids.
Sources said Nitish might speak to lalu, but maintained even if Tejashwi is dropped, it will not affect the grand alliance and Ministers from the RJD quota including lalu’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, would continue in the Government.
However, RJD sources claimed that several Ministers from the party told lalu that all of them would quit if Tejashwi was asked to resign. Most RJD legislators were agitated while angry lalu supporters swarmed his house and even clashed with the media. lalu said the BJP is targeting him because he united the Opposition to oust the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government. “This is political vendetta against me and my family.
They want to break us and make us kneel in front of BJP. My rivals want to send me to jail, they want me to surrender in front of BJP and RSS,” he said even as support came pouring in from West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, who termed the raids a political reprisal and accused the BJP of using central agencies to disturb Opposition parties.
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu, however, countered it saying the CBI was performing its duty and the Centre has no role in the raids.
lalu’s adviser Shivanand Tiwari, questioned the BJP, “Why was Uma Bharti not dropped from the Union Cabinet despite being chargesheeted by the CBI in the Babri caseIJ”
On the other hand, Sushil Kumar said Nitish should now drop Tejashwi and Tej. “It is the agni pariksha of Nitish. If he cares for his image he should act now.”