Former Bihar Deputy chief minister and BJP Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi on Wednesday said that it was false propaganda and a lie that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had not proposed the name of former JD(U) leader RCP Singh for a cabinet berth at the Centre. Mr. Modi also said that Mr. Kumar wanted to become the Vice-President of India and several of his party leaders had approached BJP for this.
“A false propaganda is being spread that Nitish Kumar had not proposed RCP Singh for cabinet berth at the centre. If he had not proposed his name, then how did Mr. Singh become a union minister for about 1.5 years?” asked Mr. Modi while addressing media persons in Patna. Mr. Modi in the political circle, however, is known for his proximity with chief minister Nitish Kumar and he has always been Deputy CM in NDA governments led by CM Nitish Kumar. “When Home minister Amit Shah had asked one name of his party for berth during expansion of union cabinet, Nitish Kumar had proposed RCP Singh’s name adding Rajiv Ranjan Singh aka Lalan Singh might get upset with this and he should also be taken care of,” explained Mr. Modi.
After Mr. Kumar severed ties with BJP on August 9, all state BJP leaders have started attacking Mr. Kumar projecting him as “habitual betrayer”. The BJP leaders even sat on dharna at state BJP headquarters on Wednesday condemning Mr. Kumar’s betrayal.
“Yes, Mr. Kumar wanted to become Vice-President of the country and for this several of his party leaders had approached BJP,” Mr. Modi claimed. “Some JD(U) people had come to say that make Nitish Kumar Vice-President and you rule the state,” Mr. Modi added.
“BJP never betrayed with anyone. We made Nitish Kumar chief minister of the state five times but RJD made him CM twice. We had relation with Mr. Kumar for 17 years but he severed ties with BJP twice,” wondered Mr. Modi before media persons at the time when Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav were taking oath as chief minister and Deputy CM at Raj Bhawan.
Speaking on allegations by JD(U) leaders that Maharashtra like incident was to be repeated in Bihar as well, Mr. Modi said, “Shiv Sena in Maharashtra was not ally of BJP, it was the ruling party there. We did not split Shiv Sena. You [JD(U)] were our ally and BJP has never ever broken any of its allies”.
Mr. Modi also predicted that this new government of Mahagathbandhan “will fall before next polls”. “Nitish Kumar will ditch RJD and try to split it taking advantage of Lalu Prasad’s ill health”, Mr. Modi added.
However, both JD(U) and RJD leaders dismissed Mr. Modi’s allegations against Mr. Kumar asking, “What else one should expect from BJP leaders now?” “Mr. Modi has been close to Nitish Kumar for several years and perhaps still is, and now whatever he is saying, he is saying at the directive of party’s central leadership and so the other BJP leaders from the state. What else do you expect from them. I feel pity on them”, a senior RJD leader told The Hindu.
