Bihar CM gives Lalu ultimatum

JD-U wants Deputy CM Yadav to resign after he was named an accused in a corruption case

Under fire from the opposition for allowing his tainted colleague to continue in office, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is understood to have given a four-day ultimatum to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to decide the fate of Tejashwi Yadav.

Tejashwi, who is Kumar’s deputy in the ruling grand alliance government in Bihar, has been named as an accused in a corruption case by the CBI, which also raided his bungalow on Friday. The scandal relates to acquiring landed properties in lieu of leasing out railway hotels to private parties and this took place while the RJD president, Lalu Prasad Yadav, was federal railway minister.

“The chief minister has given four day[s’] time to the RJD to decide on Tejashwi, failing which the JD-U will take its own course of action,” senior Janata Dal United (JD-U) leader Ramai Ram told the media at the end of his party’s meeting held here on Tuesday.

Reports said the chief minister, while addressing leaders at the meeting, asked the RJD to initiate action against Tejashwi soon, saying, “corruption can’t be tolerated at any cost”.

Another senior JD-U leader asked the deputy chief minister to go the people and tell them about the truth of allegations levelled against him. “Those facing charges [of corruption] must go to the people’s court and present the facts,” JD-U spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said at a press conference. He added the JD-U was committed to the grand alliance and they would follow the coalition protests until the end.

The RJD said there was no question of Tejashwi resigning from the post. “Tejashwi has done a very good job as a deputy chief minister and there was no question of him resigning from his post. He has nothing to do with a 10-year-old case,” said arts and culture minister Shiv Chandra Ram.