The Kerala unit of the Janata Dal (United) split from the party on Thursday, as the Nitish Kumar-led front joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar. Kerala JD(U) said the regional unit will decide on its future course of action after a meeting, according to reports.
Kerala JD(U) chief MP Veerendra Kumar also said that he was ready to resign from the Rajya Sabha to fight “fascist forces”, IANS reported.
“We are not accepting the JD(U) joining the NDA and our relations with Nitish Kumar has ended,” he said. It is shocking that Nitish Kumar has joined the NDA. We all thought that he will fight the fascist tendencies but he has now become a part of it.”
The Kerala JD(U) chief further said that they expected senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav and party MLAs to oppose Nitish Kumar’s decision. “I call upon Sharad Yadav and JD(U) MLAs to say that we won’t accept it.”
Congress-JD(U) meeting
Meanwhile, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi met Sharad Yadav in Delhi. According to reports, the Rajya Sabha MP is displeased with Nitish Kumar’s decision to ally with the BJP. He has called for a meeting of party leaders at his house.
Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the chief minister on Thursday morning, less than 24 hours after he resigned from the post and broke off from the grand alliance in the state with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress. BJP’s Sushil Kumar Modi took oath as his deputy.
Following his decision, both former alliance partners levelled allegations of political opportunism and betrayal against Nitish Kumar.
JD(U)’s rebuttal
At a press conference in Patna, the party responded to the RJD and Congress’ accusations against Nitish Kumar and said RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav had a habit of twisting facts and had even implicated Nitish Kumar in cases during his tenure as chief minister.
The JD(U) chief assumed office with the support of 132 legislators – 71 MLAs from his own party, 53 from the BJP, two each from the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party and the Lok Janshakti Party, one from the Hindustani Awam Morcha and three Independents.
He will face a floor test in the Bihar Assembly on Friday to prove his majority.
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