Denied RS re-election, JD(U) leader Shivanand Tiwari revolts

Senior JD(U) leader Shivanand Tiwari, who was recently denied re-election to the Rajya Sabha, today accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of nurturing 'hatred' toward him and spurned the offer to contest the Lok Sabha election.

"How can I think of contesting the Lok Sabha elections from his (Kumar's) side?" Tiwari said in a letter written to Bihar JD(U) President Bashistha Narayan Singh.

"I know very well that Nitish is asking me to contest the Lok Sabha elections not for my victory, but to get me defeated," he said.

Tiwari said he had asked Kumar that he was willing to fight LS poll when JD(U) had separated from BJP in June last year."But he did not say anything."

The senior JD(U) leader was replying to an ultimatum given to him and JD(U) leaders N K Singh and Shabir Ali, who were denied re-election to Rajya Sabha recently, to inform the party within three days if they were willing to fight the LS polls.

The JD(U) leader, who had praised Narendra Modi during party convention at Rajgir on October 28-29 in the chief minister's presence, claimed that since then Kumar was looking to settle scores with him.

Tiwari had come to JD(U) from RJD and was made a RS member in 2008.

State party spokesman Neeraj Kumar told PTI that the senior leader's letter was contradictory.

"On the one hand he is saying he offered to contest LS polls six months ago, but is now hesitating... this reflects his wish to move only on the loopline and not on the mainline," he said.

Senior RJD leader Ramkripal Yadav sympathised with Tiwari and said he was always an asset to whichever party he joined.

Asked about Tiwari rejoining RJD, Yadav said that it would be decided by senior leaders.