Patna
The two-day national council and executive committee of JD(U), which started here on Saturday evening, discussed the developments in Arunachal Pradesh and the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal.
KC Tygai, national secretary general of the JD(U), spoke on Arunachal Pradesh developments in which six out of seven JDFU MLAs joined the BJP and said: "This was an unfriendly act by a party considered to be a friendly alliance partner. It is against the coalition dharma." Tyagi added the defections to BJP was unwarranted as BJP enjoyed a clear majority in the 60-member assembly of Arunachal Pradesh.
On the other hand, BJP principal spokesman Prem Ranjan Patel claimed that the MLAs had applied for their admission into the BJP. He said that BJP did not force them to quit JDU. "It is absolutely wrong to put blame on BJP as the JDU failed to have control over its MLAs. Do not try to impose your failure on BJP," Patel said.
Meanwhile, Manoj Jha, Rajya Sabha MP of RJD, commented. "BJP has become a maneater. IT will swallow the entire JDU in Bihar."
RJD national vice-president Shivananad Tiwari, said the BJP has betrayed its partner.
While discussing West Bengal, JD(U)'s West Bengal unit president Ashok Kumar Das said the party has a strong base in 23 districts of the state. "We are prepared to contest the assembly elections independently," he said. The West Bengal unit of the party has prepared a list of candidates to field in the upcoming polls and is waiting for the approval of Nitish Kumar. Meanwhile, representatives from different states expressed their faith in the leadership of the party's national president and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.
Ally BJP, in the meantime, continued its pressure on the JD(U). On Saturday evening, former Union minister and senior BJP MLA Sanjay Paswan demanded Nitish Kumar should hand over the home portfolio to a BJP minister. He regretted Kumar has failed as home minister.
Paswan also asked the chief minister to replace the principal secretary of the home department, Amir Subhani, immediately. Paswan said, "it is strange, Amir Subhani is the state's home secretary for the last 15 years. A competent officer should be appointed in his place".