Nitish colluding with BJP to wipe off murder taint: Lalu Last-ditch effort by Cong to keep JD-U chief on board

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar decided to break the ruling alliance and go with the BJP because he is facing trial for murdering a man in 1991, RJD leader Lalu Prasad alleged on Wednesday.

Also, he asked Kumar to convene a joint session of the threeparty mahagathbandhan or grand alliance that rules Bihar and allow the legislators to elect their own leader.

“Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, nor Tej Pratap Yadav would be a candidate at such a meeting, provided Nitish Kumar is not himself a candidate,” he said.

“Our claim to govern stands because we are the largest party and have a right to this chance. We will not allow President’s rule in Bihar,” Prasad said. But the RJD leader doubted if Kumar would call a meeting of alliance legislators. “I am unsure, he would take heed, labouring as he does under the fear of prosecution in the murder case,” he said.

“The Prime Minister’s tweet after the resignation indicates how strong this conspiracy was to destabilise the alliance,” Prasad said.

“It is he who backtracked, despite our best efforts. Wasn’t he the person who said ‘mitti mein mil jayeengey, BJP key saath nahin jayeengey?”

Confident that he could gain from a split in the JD(U) ranks at an alliance meeting, Prasad turned up the offensive against Kumar. “I say this with great responsibility that Nitish Kumar is charged with crime and the case is with the lower judiciary,” he said.