Chief minister Nitish Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the state won the trust vote in the Bihar assembly on February 12. The new government received 129 votes while the opposition members staged a walkout. Deputy speaker Mahesh Hazari who is also from the JD-U was not required to vote. The Bihar assembly has a strength of 243 members (MLAs).
Legislators From Congress And RJD Also Vote For Nitish Kumar And His Party
The government needed 122 votes for the removal of the Speaker, however, it received 125 after three legislators of the Grand Alliance (GA) also voted for the government. They are Chetan Anand from the Congress and Neelam Devi and Prahlad Yadav of the RJD.
Speaking on today’s trust vote, the Janata Dal (United) chief said he could not continue when he found out there was corruption taking place. After winning the trust vote, he stated that the RJD had indulged in multiple corrupt practices, and the new NDA- government will initiate a probe into it.
He also mentioned that several communal riots had taken place during the RJD rule.
His statement evoked sharp protest from the Opposition bench. Nitish Kumar was at the receiving end of criticism by former deputy chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, but he said that he will now remain with the NDA forever. The RJD labelled Nitish Kumar as “a self-indulgent opportunist”.
“The RJD wants to take credit, but they should know the condition of the state prior to 2005. There was utter lawlessness, darkness, and total absence of roads. My government has been working for Bihar’s development and that will continue. Jobs being provided as part of the government’s -7-Resolves programme,” he added.
Deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary also attacked the RJD for epitomising corruption. “Even reservation could not go beyond one family in the RJD, and its leaders have no right to speak about marginalised sections of the society,” he added.
Tesjashwi Yadav Hits Out As He Takes Oath As Chief Minister Thrice In Three Years
Tejashwi Yadav hit out at the CM Kumar for his “frequent flip-flop” and creating a record of taking oath as chief minister thrice in three years.
“I respected Nitish ji and will continue to respect him. He may have some compulsions for banishing me, who he often described one like his son. Nitish ji knows that I was not interested in joining the government. I wanted to support from outside. But I assure Nitish ji, if he again has a rethink and needs support, we will think over it”, he said.
He also took a dig at the former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, whose four MLAs from HAM-S played a vital role in ensuring the removal of the Speaker. “After Nitish Kumar’s outburst against him, Manjhi ji had said that he was being administered wrong medicine. Without stability, there cannot be development in the state. I really feel pain for the JD-U legislators as to how they will go to the people. The chief minister keeps his chair intact, but what about them?” he wondered.
Notably, Jitan Ram Manjhi had squarely blamed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his son Santosh Suman’s exit from the state cabinet in June last year post which the state’s ruling Mahagatbandhan had firmly shut its doors on his part the HAM-S(Hindustani Awam Morcha- Secular).
Bengali