Patna: The political crisis in Bihar continued on Wednesday with JD-U adamant on seeking a fact-based public clarification from deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav.
The JD-U, while sending a clear political signal to its coalition partner RJD, said that “the party is committed to the coalition dharma but Nitish Kumar’s stand on corruption is well-known and he has set an example by taking harsh action against ministers facing criminal charges in the past.”
JD-U leaders also clarified that the party did not demand the resignation of Tejashwi Yadav but want him to give a detailed public explanation of the charges he has been facing.
“Meeting between chief minister and Tejashwi Yadav was not political and our opinion on the issue is that he (Tejashwi) must clarify his position in public with proof and facts,” JD-U spokesperson Ajay Alok told reporters in Patna on Wednesday.
The reaction came in response to Lalu Yadav’s political advisor and former RJD MP Shivanand Tiwary’s statement in which he had said that “situation has returned to normal after Tuesday’s meeting.”
Deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav had met Nitish Kumar in his official chamber on Tuesday where he is believed to have told him that he will not resign from the post and fight a legal battle to clear his name. It was their first meeting since the crisis surfaced.
Sources claimed that Mr Tejashwi Yadav also cited the example of Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who continues to hold position despite legal cases pending against him.
Party insiders said that deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav is likely to seek legal advice and has also agreed to give a detailed public explanation of the corruption charges he has been facing.
RJD sources said that the “Party has organized a big rally on August 27 where he will give a detailed explanation about the case to prove his innocence”. Meanwhile, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Wednesday launched an offensive against Nitish Kumar, calling his “zero tolerance on corruption” theory “eyewash”.
He said, “The JD (U) had asked Tejashwi Yadav to give a detailed public explanation of the corruption charges but now it is being said that in order to save the grand secular alliance government Nitish Kumar has forgotten his zero tolerance on corruption theory”.
A similar attack was launched by Former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi who said, “Nitish Kumar bowed down before Tejashwi Yadav because his party JD (U) is numerically weaker in Bihar. The entire political tussle was a well-planned creation of both Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav to divert public attention from the real issue. Nitish Kumar only takes action against weaker people like me. He took action against me earlier because I was a Dalit”.
