Nitish Kumar shows Prashant Kishor, Pavan Varma the door

The ruling Janata Dal (United) in Bihar expelled former Rajya Sabha member Pavan Varma and party’s national vice-president Prashant Kishor here on Wednesday. The two leaders were shown the door for questioning Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also the JD (U) national president.

Kishor thanked Nitish through his tweet: “Thank you @NitishKumar. My best wishes to you to retain the chair of Chief Minister of Bihar. God bless you.”

The expulsion comes a day after Nitish on Tuesday dropped ample hint that “those who are tweeting or writing him letters and releasing it to the media, were free to join any organisation.”

Varma had questioned Nitish over his silence on a contentious issue like CAA, while Kishor, despite being in the JD (U), thanked Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi for their support in opposing CAA.

“On more than one occasion, you have expressed your apprehensions about the BJP-RSS combine. If these are your real views, I fail to understand how the JD (U) is now extending its alliance with the BJP beyond Bihar, when even long standing allies of the BJP, like the Akali Dal, have refused to do so,” said Varma in his letter to Nitish.

Kishor, who is also a poll strategist and working for AAP in Delhi, hit back at Home Minister Amit Shah and dared him to implement the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the same chronology as “audaciously announced” by him. “Being dismissive of citizens’ dissent could not be the sign of strength of any Govt. @amitshah Ji, if you don’t care for those protesting against #CAA_ NRC, why don’t you go ahead and try implementing the CAA & NRC in the chronology that you so audaciously announced to the nation!”, tweeted Kishor last week.

However, Nitish on Tuesday reminded PK that it was on the recommendation of Amit Shah that he (PK) was inducted into the JD (U) and made party’s national vice-president.

“@NitishKumar what a fall for you to lie about how and why you made me join JD U!! Poor attempt on your part to try and make my colour same as yours. And if you are telling the truth who would believe that you still have the courage not to listen to someone recommended by @AmitShah?” tweeted PK on Tuesday, which is being perceived as the last nail in the coffin.

“JD (U) means Nitish. And Nitish means JD (U). If anybody dares to question Nitish ji - a leader who has an impeccable track record of governance, he deserves to be shown the door. Both the leaders, Varma and PK, had crossed their limits,” said JD (U) spokesperson Nikhil Mandal here on Wednesday.