Nitish takes oath: RJD plans to move court, Lalu calls Bihar CM 'opportunist'

Patna: The RJD today said it would move court as well as knock at the "people's door" to protest against the Bihar governor's invitation to the JD(U) and the NDA to form a government in the state in "blatant violation" of a Supreme Court judgement.

Rashtriya Janata Dal national spokesman Manoj Jha said the party would "knock at the court's door, as well as that of the janata ki adalat (people's court)" to tell the people about the "conspiracy" hatched by the BJP. "The governor's decision amounts to the murder of the spirit of the S R Bommai judgement," Jha told reporters outside the residence of RJD leader and former chief minister Rabri Devi. Tejaswi Yadav, who had led a party delegation to Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi late last night after a protest march, also criticised the governor's decision to invite the JD(U) and the NDA to form a government.

"According to the S R Bommai case judgement it is mandatory to call the single largest party or electoral block first to explore the formation of a government," he said. The governor's decision to invite Nitish Kumar to form the government with the BJP was a "blatant violation" of the judgement, Jha said. Jha claimed that more than 45 JDU MLAs were "uncomfortable" about the JD(U)'s alliance with the BJP-led NDA. RJD MLA Bhai Birendra said the party had called off a protest march to Raj Bhawan following the imposition of prohibitory orders in the area.

He said RJD workers were holding dharnas and demonstrations at block and district headquarters today to protest against the "murder of democracy and betrayal of the people's mandate for a Mahagathbandhan by Nitish Kumar". Kumar resigned as the chief minister of Bihar yesterday. Today, with the BJP's support, he was sworn in as the CM by the state governor.

Dubbing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as an "opportunist," RJD chief Lalu Prasad today accused Kumar of joining hands with the BJP to ensure the CBI and ED raids on RJD leaders and his family members to malign him. Lalu Prasad also termed Kumar's "anti-BJP" drive as a well-scripted drama and the part of a "fixed game" between the JD(U) and the BJP.

"Nitish Kumar is an opportunist. He has not only betrayed the mandate of the people of Bihar, which was against the communal forces, but also the people of India," he alleged. "Before 2015 elections when he sensed that he could not win on his own strength, he came to seek my help as he knew that RJD had a strong support base among the minorities and the backward section of the society," Lalu Prasad told reporters here.

Prasad made the remarks in the wake of Nitish Kumar walking out of the Grand Alliance in Bihar and forming a new government with the help of the BJP.

"Nitish Kumar is saying he left Grand Alliance as he was not comfortable in working with the RJD as corruption charges were levelled against us. But my question is who is he to question us, is he a CBI director or DGP of police?, he asked. "Nitish Kumar has joined hands with BJP to ensure raids by the CBI, ED and Income Tax on RJD leaders and my family member just to malign me. He is an ungrateful person," Lalu Prasad said. Giving a clean chit to his son Tejaswi, who was deputy chief minister in the JD(U)-RJD ministry, Lalu Prasad said, "He has done no wrong and even if he has done anything wrong, the court will decide. Who are they to call him corrupt?"

"He was deputy chief minister for the last 20 months, can anybody show a single proof of any corrupt dealing that he has done?" the RJD chief asked. Lalu Prasad said JD(U) was planning to leave the Grand Alliance for the last few months and "the entire script was drafted by the BJP with the help of Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi."

"We are the single largest party in the state assembly. The governor should have given us the first opportunity to prove our number. If we had failed, he could have called JD (U)," Lalu Prasad said. "But the governor acted on the orders of the BJP and it was done in such a hurried manner that the oath-taking ceremony was advanced from 5 pm in the evening to 10 am in the morning," he alleged and said that his party might seek legal recourse. Nitish Kumar was today sworn as the chief minister of Bihar for the sixth time heading a NDA government.