JD(U) wants Nitish to stay

The Janata Dal (United) Legislature Party (JDULP) on Sunday reposed complete and unwavering faith in Nitish Kumar’s leadership and urged him to continue as the chief minister of Bihar. Nitish, however, refused to withdraw his resignation and sought a day’s time to reconsider his decision.

Stung by the poll debacle in the Lok Sabha elections, in which the JD(U) could win only two of the 40 parliamentary seats in the state, Nitish had resigned on Saturday. Bihar Governor D Y Patil accepted his resignation but asked him to continue as caretaker Chief Minister till an alternate arrangement was made.

However, on Sunday, the JD(U) legislators stood by Nitish and passed a resolution at an emergency meeting of the JDULP convened here, appealing him to “continue as the chief minister in the larger interest of Bihar”.

Incidentally, the resolution was moved by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh, who was perceived to be the possible contender among rebels for chief minister’s post. But sensing the mood of the party legislators on Sunday, Singh made a U-turn and pledged his support to Nitish.

Sharad booed 

On a day that saw fast political developments, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav had to bear the brunt of legislators. “Sharad is an outsider. Pack him off to Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, as he is the main architect behind destabilising Nitish government,” shouted angry JD(U) workers when Pawar was about to enter Nitish’s official residence at 1, Aney Marg.

The police personnel present there saved the day and escorted Sharad amid tight security, even though the booing continued.
Another rebel minister Ramai Ram, a vocal critic of Nitish, was heckled and chased away by the JD(U) workers for raising a bogey of revolt.

A tense and charged atmosphere prevailed throughout the day near Nitish’s residence after he made it clear that the JD(U) should elect a new chief minister. The situation calmed down only after a resolution was passed urging Nitish to withdraw his resignation.

In his emotion-packed speech, Nitish dwelt at length how he lost the mandate despite working hard for the people of Bihar. “Respecting the people’s verdict, I feel, I should not continue as the chief minister,” he reiterated. 

This trigged a hue and cry and one minister after another said, “There is no substitute to Nitish. Not only Bihar, the JD(U), too, would be finished.” The JDULP will meet on Monday where Nitish would spell out his final decision.DH News Service