JOIN USNitish Kumar seeks inquiry into Pegasus controversy
Lending his weight behind the Opposition demand for probing the Pegasus scandal, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday batted for a "thorough probe" into the matter, becoming the first NDA ally to do so.
The demand led to a flurry of reactions with Lalu Prasad's RJD welcoming his comments and hoping he does not withdraw it while LJP's Chirag Paswan linked Kumar's taking stands contrary to that of BJP on various issues to the Bihar Chief Minister's "Prime Ministerial ambition."
Speaking to reporters in Patna, Kumar said in Hindi, "We have been hearing about phone tapping for so many days. Hence a discussion on it must be held (in Parliament). I have asked for it the very first day. You all know nowadays anybody can do these kinds of things in so many ways. Hence in my view, proper steps should be taken, examining each and every aspect of this whole episode. What has happened, what has not happened is being talked about by some people in Parliament and it is also coming out in newspapers and we see only all that.
"But whatever is the matter should be examined thoroughly to find out in what manner some people are tapping the phone of somebody or whatever they are doing it, hacking it. The entire thing should come out in the open. In my opinion, when people are talking about it for so many days, this should definitely be investigated," Kumar said.
Opposition RJD did not hide its glee over Kumar's comments with its Rajya Sabha MP and party spokesperson saying that he will request Kumar to stick to his demand and he hopes that the Chief Minister does not come under pressure and say that his statement was misinterpreted.
LJP Chirag Paswan earlier said the ambition of the PM is once again raising its head.
"He (Kumar) has always had this desire for PM material. This is his Mann Ki Baat," Paswan said after remarks of another JDU leader Upendra Kushwaha hailing Nitish Kumar as PM material.
Paswan predicted a midterm poll for Bihar saying Kumar will try to become the face of Opposition in this midterm Assembly poll before the 2014 general election in which he will later present himself as a face against Modi.
"PM material has started implementing his secret plan against the BJP. He has started the move by taking a different stand from BJP on issues like population control bill, caste census, CAA-NRC and others. Be cautious," Paswan tweeted.
JDU leaders have, however, maintained that the party taking a different stand from BJP on these issues will not have bearing on the coalition in Bihar and the alliance is intact. Nitish Kumar's JDU, which has shared an uneasy relationship with BJP, which is the leading coalition partner with more MLAs in the Bihar government headed by Kumar, has time and again taken a stand contrary to the BJP in the last six months.
On Monday a delegation of Janata Dal (United) MPs led by new party president Lalan Singh met Home Minister Amit Shah pushing for the caste-based census even as the government headed by Modi at the Centre has reservations against it. Some Bihar BJP leaders have openly expressed reservation against such a move.
On July 31, JDU also passed a resolution voicing its opinion against any coercive measures like the enactment of laws to control population growth even as some BJP-ruled states Uttar Pradesh and Assam have come out with such proposals. Assam has in fact also proposed a "Population Army" to check population growth in some areas. Nitish Kumar, himself, had openly expressed his disagreement with such a measure when the neighbouring UP government headed by Yogi Adityanath had introduced it.
Earlier Kumar, even after coming back to NDA in 2017, had voiced his disapproval of BJP's growing pitch on NRC, Uniform Civil Code and Triple Talaq Bill and Article 370 but had taken a u-turn on the last two issues in Parliament.
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