Patna, March 24 RJD working president Tejashwi Yadav claimed on Tuesday that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had "no desire" to be elected to the Rajya Sabha, but was "forced" to do so at the behest of his ally, the BJP, which was out to "oust" the JD(U).
Kumar, the longest-serving chief minister of Bihar, was elected to the Rajya Sabha on March 9. Asked for his comments on the development, Yadav said, "While Nitish Kumar may be the national president of the JD(U), the party is now being run not by him, but by a group that is closely allied with the BJP.
"We have always said that the BJP wants to eliminate the JD(U). Nitish Kumar has been forced to enter the Rajya Sabha as part of this plan. He had no desire to give up his position as chief minister," said the leader of the opposition in the state assembly.
Yadav was also asked about the allegation by former RJD MLA Mukesh Raushan that Bihar minister Sanjay Kumar Singh had a warrant for his arrest issued by a Chhattisgarh court.
The RJD working president said, "The government must seriously investigate this allegation. The minister also owes an explanation to the people of the state.
Notably, Singh had wrested the Mahua seat in the assembly polls held in November last year from Raushan.
Yadav also ridiculed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to the nation to be "vigilant and prepared", as during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the face of the ongoing West Asia crisis.
"It is his own government that needs to be vigilant, given its tendency to mishandle every crisis, whether it is demonetisation or the pandemic," the RJD leader quipped.