New Delhi: The ruling JD(U) has strongly objected to the regular criticism of the Bihar government by LJP president Chirag Paswan and other leaders of the party, which is a member of the ruling National Democratic Alliance. It is likely to discuss the matter with senior BJP leaders when they visit Patna next week.After refraining from commenting on LJP leaders for weeks despite their repeated adverse remarks, the JD(U) has come out openly against Paswan.“PM Modi, home minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda have already said on different occasions that Bihar elections would be fought under the leadership of chief minister Nitish Kumar,” JD(U) principal secretary general KC Tyagi told ET. “Even after that if LJP is raising a question on leadership, it means they are defying PM Modi.”Tyagi said the language and tone of LJP leaders including Paswan did not sound like that of an alliance partner. “By questioning the NDA government in Bihar they are playing in opposition RJD’s pitch, giving them a chance to react,” he said.Tyagi said it is up to Paswan to decide whether to remain in NDA or not. “The BJP and JD(U) have a long history of being in alliance and we are going to fight the elections together,” he said. “We never had an alliance with the LJP. It is for the LJP to decide on alliance.”Last month, senior JD(U) leader and MP Lalan Singh had called Paswan a Kalidas, who was trying to cut the tree he was sitting on. LJP leaders termed it an act to defy PM Modi.
LJP spokesman Ashraf Ansari reacted to Tyagi’s comment, thanking him for clarifying that there was no alliance between the JD(U) and LJP. He further said that those who don’t think like Paswan can never take Bihar forward.In recent weeks, several LJP leaders have launched attacks on Nitish Kumar’s policies and governance. The latest was when Kumar announced government jobs for the family members of any Scheduled Caste/Tribe person getting killed. Paswan called it a poll gimmick and demanded a government job for the families of all SC/ST community people killed in the last 15 years in the state.
