The Rashtriya Janata Dal will move court within a week against the new Bihar government, party spokesperson Manoj Jha told PTI on Sunday. “We will knock at the court’s door, and go to janata ki adalat [the people’s court] as well to tell the masses about the kind of politics being played by the two parties — Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Jha told the news agency.
Jha said Governor KN Tripathi’s decision to invite Kumar to form the government with the BJP was a violation of a Supreme Court judgement. “According to the SR Bommai case judgement, it is mandatory to call the single largest party or electoral bloc first to explore the formation of a government,” he told PTI.
The RJD spokesperson also accused Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar of cheating the people and rejecting the mandate. “Every mandate has a character and in Bihar it was the Dalits, the minorities and some progressive sections of the upper caste that had voted for the previous government [a coalition of JD(U), RJD and Congress],” he said. “With JD(U) breaking the grand alliance, the character of that mandate has been dropped… He [Kumar] will face of the wrath of the people.”
Kumar was sworn in as Bihar chief minister on Thursday morning, less than 24 hours after he had resigned from the post and broke off from his alliance with the RJD and the Congress. BJP’s Sushil Kumar Modi took oath as his deputy.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!