Janjivan Bureau / Lucknow: Amid mounting pressure to sack Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has called a cabinet meeting today. According Janata Dal (United) spokesman Nikhil Mandal, Nitish Kumar will be forced to take a tough decision if Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) fails to ensure Tejashwi Yadav’s resignation. The JD(U) has reportedly asked RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav to shun his stubbornness on Tejashwi to save the Grand Alliance in the state.
On being asked whether Nitish Kumar will ask Tejashwi Yadav to step down, JD(U) leader Nikhil Mandal said the decision has to be taken by the RJD. “Our leader’s stand on corruption is clear. The decision has to be taken by the RJD,” Mandal was quoted as saying. Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav, who have been avoiding each other, might face each other at the cabinet meeting.
During the last cabinet meeting, Nitish Kumar didn’t speak to Tejashwi Yadav and gave the media a miss. However, Tejashwi came out from the meeting and addressed the media, reiterating that all charges against him were politically motivated. Meanwhile, the JD(U) is miffed with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s unending support to his Deputy Chief Minister son Tejashwi Yadav.
“Lalu should understand that coalition dharma is bigger than “hatt dharma” (stubbornness). He should realise that coalition does not run by being obstinate,” JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar was quoted as saying by India Today. “Nitish’s model of governance is different from PM Modi’s model. We cannot tolerate corruption at any cost. We are still hopeful that Tejashwi comes clean on corruption charges levelled against him,” Kumar added.
Bihar has been in the grip of a political crisis over the demand for the resignation of Tejashwi Yadav after the CBI registered a case against him in a benami property case and also raided his premises last week.
