Four JD (U) leaders close to RCP shown door by party

RCP Singh was recently denied another term in Rajya Sabha

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) Tuesday expelled four of its office bearers, including its popular spokesman Ajay Alok, who were considered close to union minister R C P Singh, Kumar’s long-time confidant who was recently denied a Rajya Sabha nomination by the party.

“We have been receiving complaints against them for quite some time. They were running a parallel programme contrary to party’s ideology and were misguiding party workers even though they were holding important party positions,” state JD(U) president Umesh Kushwaha said on Tuesday while announcing their suspension.

“The suspended leaders include Anil Kumar and Bipin Kumar Yadav (both state general secretaries), Ajay Alok (state spokesperson) and Jitendra Neeraj (chairman of a dissolved party committee),” he said.

Kushwaha said some of them were individually advised to desist from such activities but they defied the party line.

“I am relieved after the decision. My nine years of association has ended,” said Ajay Alok, one of the vocal spokespersons of the party. Alok had tweeted in favour of RCP when the party was to decide on his candidature. RCP Singh, who is the sole JD(U) representative in the union cabinet, was recently denied another term in Rajya Sabha in what is being seen as a rebuke for his having accepted the ministerial berth without taking into confidence Nitish Kumar, who is the de facto supremo of the JD(U).

Recently, the state government had allotted the residence in which Singh was staying in capital Patna to the chief secretary. The residence was earlier allotted in the name of MLC Sanjay Gandhi but Singh has been staying there for more than a decade.

Party leaders familiar with matter said RCP Singh further antagonized top leaders when he, after being denied party ticket for the Rajya Sabha, had laughed at the projection of Nitish Kumar as PM while talking to media. “Where is the number? With just 16 MPs you cannot dream of becoming a PM,” Singh had said. He had also raked up the issue of party committees disbanded after he became the minister.

Resign from Union cabinet: Kushwaha

JD(U) parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha, meanwhile, has advised R C P Singh to resign from the union cabinet on grounds of morality. “It would be not right for him to continue as minister after July 7,” Kushwaha told a TV news channel.

Asked about RCP’s role in the party, he said the party had not discussed the matter. “He has to decide what role he will continue in,” said Kushwaha.