Janjivan Bureau /Patna : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tender his resignation to incharge governer of Bihar and West Bengal governer today evening, after the meeting JD(U) legislature party.
“It’s not possible to work in this environment, I tried. Tried to found out a solution” Nitish Kumar said, after resigning as CM.
The RJDLP meeting was advanced by a day as Lalu Prasad has to go to Ranchi tonight and would stay there for the next three days in connection with a fodder scam related case.
The RJD chief also dismissed media reports of “communication gap” or “bitterness” between him and Nitish Kumar in the wake of the present political crisis after the CBI filed an FIR against him, Rabri Devi, Tejaswi Yadav and five others in a case of a piece of land given by a private party to them in return for license of two IRCTC hotels at Ranchi and Puri when Prasad was the railway minister.
“We keep talking often. Last night also, I had a talk with Nitish Kumar,” Prasad said.
Prasad and Kumar are known in political circle as ‘Bade Bhai’ (Lalu) and ‘Chote Bhai’ (Nitish).
Ahead of the RJDLP meeting Shivanand Tiwari, a close confidante of Lalu Prasad, hit out at Kumar over his stated policy of ‘zero tolerance of corruption’.
“I know Nitish Kumar for the last 40 years as to how much is he bathed in milk … He is using zero tolerance as a charade … If things come out in public it would resurrect many mortals,” he told reporters waiting outside Rabri Devi’s residence.
He referred to Nitish Kumar’s efforts to rope in INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala, lodged in jail in a corruption case, in his attempt to cobble up a united Janata Dal.
“If he (Kumar) can enter into ties with INLD so what problem has he with the RJD?” Tiwari questioned.
On JD(U) repeatedly asking Tejaswi Yadav to answer the accusations in public domain, Tiwari retorted “Has the CBI outsourced this to them (JD-U)?”
Tiwari’s barbs against Kumar was strongly fielded by JD (U) spokesmen Sanjay Singh and Ajay Alok.
“He is suffering from mental illness and needs treatment in a good hospital,” Sanjay Singh said.
Ajay Alok said, “He is neither here, nor there and has no locus standi. I wonder as to why is he trying to make himself important? Lalu Prasad threw him out of his home before the start of the RJDLP meeting.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo Lalu prasad Yadav hold meeting separately .
Both sides are likely to reiterate their positions at today’s sessions with their parties’ law-makers. “We can’t compromise on Nitish ‘s image,” said KC Tyagi, a senior leader from the Chief Minister’s party. “There is no reason for Tejashwi Yadav to resign on flimsy and fake charges,” shot off Abdul Bari Siddiqui, a senior minister from Lalu Yadav’s party.
As important as the meetings that are being held is the one that isn’t: a standard joint address to legislators of the alliance that is held before every assembly session has not been scheduled, setting off the equivalent of a five-five alarm.
Since the case erupted on July 7 with raids at the Yadav home in Patna, Nitish Kumar and his party, the Janata Dal United, have made no utterances of support. The Congress, which is the third member of the Bihar alliance, initially backed Lalu Yadav, but has lately quietened down, reportedly because Nitish Kumar has made it clear that he cannot be talked out of demanding his 28-year-old deputy’s resignation.
The Congress’ top bosses, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, have talked to both Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav. Congress sources said that Sonia Gandhi has made it clear that it is son Rahul who has been assigned to handle the problem. Over the weekend, he met in Delhi with Nitish Kumar who reminded him that in 2013, when Lalu Yadav was found guilty of corruption in a different case, it was Mr Gandhi who dramatically tore up an executive order or ordinance that was designed to protect Lalu Yadav from a Supreme Court order that bans convicted politicians from holding public office.
Sources said Nitish Kumar also referenced the many corruption scandals that played out during the term of the previous Congress-led government. Though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was not involved in the scams, critics say he allowed allies in the national government to help themselves freely to the cookie jar. From telecom to coal, the Supreme Court has found huge conspiracies in gypping the country of valuable resources.
