PATNA: A day after five of six MLAs in Manipur defected to BJP, the JD(U) on Saturday accused its former ally of using “dhan bal” (money power) to poach legislators from other parties.
While the JD(U)’s de facto leader and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar questioned the propriety and constitutionality of the alleged poaching by the BJP, its national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alleged that the game BJP played in Manipur, and added that it had previously attempted a similar ‘khel’ in Delhi, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
The five of the six JD(U) MLAs in Manipur joined the BJP on Friday, just a day before the Bihar’s ruling party’s national executive meeting in Patna. The development comes as a major embarrassment for the JD(U) which has decided to project Nitish for a bigger role in national politics.
JD(U) had won six seats in Manipur assembly polls in March this year, its highest so far. After the switching of side by five legislators, only one JD(U) MLA Muhammad Abdul Nasir, who won from Lilong seat, remains with the party.
“Our MLAs in Manipur had defeated BJP candidates in the assembly polls.
Earlier in December 2020, our six MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh were poached by the BJP in similar fashion while we were still in the NDA. In Arunachal too, our MLAs had won the election by defeating the BJP candidates,” Lalan said.
Responding to media queries at JD(U) office here, Nitish said all six party MLAs from Manipur had arrived here a day after winning the election in March this year. “They again came here this month soon after we quit the NDA and formed the new government with the Grand Alliance. All six MLAs supported our decision. … Just see how the BJP is ‘attracting’ MLAs of other parties towards it,” Nitish said.
“When we were in the NDA and the six JD(U) MLAs were supporting the BJP government in Manipur, they (BJP) didn’t give any post to them. But now, they have taken our MLAs in their party. Just think about what kind of politics is going on. What type of behaviour is this?” Nitish asked.
“On Monday, all six MLAs informed us that they were coming to Patna to join the party’s national executive and council meets. But in the meantime, they ‘caught’ our MLAs and took them in their fold,” the Bihar CM said.
Nitish also asked whether it was proper to take MLAs of other parties. “Is it proper? Is it constitutional? Is it in line with established norms?” the Bihar CM asked and called upon all political parties to unite against the BJP in 2024 for a “positive” result.
“Whatever games and tricks the BJP may play, it will not be able to stop JD(U) from becoming a ‘national party’ by 2023,” the party chief said. Currently, the JD(U) is recognised as the ‘state party’ in Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. If it secures 6% of polled votes in one more state, it would be recognised as a ‘national party’ by the Election Commission. The JD(U) hopes to secure more than 6% votes in Nagaland polls in early 2023.
BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said on Saturday that after Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, it was Bihar’s turn to become “JDU-mukt” where the party could be split by its bigger ally RJD. “In Bihar, RJD boss Lalu Yadav may break the JD(U) in near future. After that, Bihar will be “JDU-mukt”, Sushil Modi claimed.
Reacting over SuMo’s remarks, Lalan said, “Let Sushil Modi sell daydreams to the BJP central leadership. It may help him to come out of his long political wilderness (Vanwas).”
On December 25, 2020, six of the seven JD(U) MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh had joined the BJP. The remaining lone JD(U) MLA in Arunachal Pradesh, Techi Kaso, joined the ruling BJP on August 24 this year. JD(U)’s lone MLA in Nagaland too had left the party a few years back.