RJD to stake claim to form govt today

PATNA: All opposition parties should stage a dharna in Bengaluru against the unconstitutional method adopted to allow the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form the government in Karnataka. TEJASHWI, RJD leader

RJD and Congress in Bihar have taken an aggressive stand against the Karnataka governor’s decision inviting BJP to form the government arguing that RJD being the single largest party in Bihar should now be given a chance to form government on the pattern of Karnataka.

On Thursday, the RJD, which is the principal opposition party in the state, announced that it would meet Bihar governor Satya Pal Malik on Friday to stake claim to form the government as it was the single largest party.

“I along with RJD and Congress legislators would meet the governor at 1 pm on Friday and stake claim to form the government in Bihar. If Yeddyurappa has got a chance to form the government in Karnataka, why should not the RJD get a chance? Why are there two yardsticks for formation of government in Bihar and Karnataka?” asked party leader Tejashwi, while addressing the media.

Dubbing the oath ceremony of BS Yeddyurappa today as a black day for democracy, Tejashwi said the BJP had carried a coup last year in Bihar to dislodge grand alliance government and the Governor had wrongfully invited the BJP-JD(U) combine to form government ignoring the claim of the RJD despite it’s status as a single largest party.

“We had sat on dharna till 2 am on July 26 last year outside the Raj Bhawan waiting for the Governor to invite us as we were the single largest party. But the BJP-JD(U) combine were given a chance to form government. The same thing has been repeated in Karnataka this time. The BJP is using all unconstitutional methods to form government by throttling democracy and misusing agencies be it the CBI, ED or Income tax to intimidate rivals,” Tejashwi added.

The leader of the opposition said all opposition forces should now unite to fight against the BJP’s arm twisting methods to usurp power and the situation in the country was worse than emergency days in mid seventies.

“All opposition parties should stage a dharna in Bengaluru against the unconstitutional method adopted to allow BJP to form government in Karnataka,” Tejashwi said.

He added that the Karnataka governor’s decision to give BJP 15 days time to prove majority would only lead to horse trading.

RJD’s senior leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh also dubbed the Karnataka Governor’s decision to invite BJP to form the government as mockery of democracy.

“The Karnataka governor has thrown the constitutional norms to the winds. If BJP being the single largest party got an invite to form the government in Karnataka, why should not the RJD get a chance in Bihar where it is the single largest party,” Singh said.