Patna, March 7 Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, on Saturday dismissed speculations that a move was afoot to form a new centrally administered territory by carving districts out of Bihar and West Bengal.
Rai, who is also a former Bihar BJP president, responded to claims made by Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, on his X handle.
"It is entirely false that there is any plan to carve out districts from Bihar and West Bengal to form a Union territory. The tweet by Pappu Yadav should not be taken seriously," said Rai, who also tagged the Purnea MP, who supports the Congress.
Yadav had alleged on Friday that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to move to the Rajya Sabha, and the appointment of Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain as the new governor, were part of the "BJP's plan" to create a Union territory by carving out Bihar's Seemanchal region and West Bengal's Muslim-dominated districts of Malda, Murshidabad, and Uttar Dinajpur.
Yadav had also claimed that the Narendra Modi government could push through the measure by getting a resolution passed in the Bihar assembly, where the NDA enjoys a majority, and the BJP is likely to head the new government after Nitish Kumar steps down, in addition to imposing President's rule in West Bengal, ruled by Mamata Banerjee, the staunch rival of the saffron party.