NITISH VETOES LALU KIN AS DEPUTY

rectorate, which is probing the dealings of her company Mishail Packers and Printers Ltd for alleged money laundering.

As these cases hit the headlines, CM Nitish Kumar publicly stated that corruption was not tolerable for him. In the following days, the Janata Dal United raised the pitch for Tejashwi’s removal as Deputy CM. Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, however, remained adamant that he would not quit, creating a major rift between the alliance partners. Many political pundits are of the opinion that Nitish Kumar is exploiting the case to settle scores with Lalu, since tension has been long simmering between the two leaders, with Lalu trying to upstage him and install his son Tejashwi as the CM. In the 2015 Assembly elections, Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United had secured 71 seats, nine short of RJD’s in an Assembly of 243. Despite its numerical inferiority, the JDU has the option of staying in power by going back to the BJP, which can help it secure a majority with its 53 MLAs.

On Nitish Kumar’s insistence that Tejashwi should come clean on the charges of corruption, the latter held a press conference on 7 July, dismissing the accusations against him as “vendetta politics” on part of the BJP. But the JDU’s state president for Bihar, Vashisht Narain Singh maintained his party was not satisfied with what Tejashwi said in his defence.

According to various media reports, the JDU has given the RJD a 72-hour deadline to ensure Tejashwi’s exit, which would end on Sunday, 16 July. These reports could not be independently verified by The Sunday Guardian.

Although the RJD officially maintains Tejashwi will not quit, sources said that Sonia Gandhi has asked Lalu Yadav to soften his stand. Sources said that modalities were being worked out in the RJD camp for Tejashwi’s exit, but the biggest challenge before them was who would replace him, as Nitish Kumar has also vetoed Misa’s name.