Can’t work with the new era leaders of BJP: Nitish Kumar

A day after his party JD-U snapped its 17-year-old ties with the BJP, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Monday said that there is no question of going back on the decision taken by the central leadership of the party.

Zee Media Bureau

Patna: A day after his party JD-U snapped its 17-year-old ties with the BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that there is no question of going back on the decision taken by the central leadership of the party Addressing a press conference in state capital Patna, Kumar said, “We were forced to snap ties with the BJP since its central leadership was not listening to our suggestions and ignoring us for the past one year.” Slamming the BJP leadership he said, “The decision to end ties with the BJP was taken by the central leadership of the JD-U after much deliberations about its possible consequences. There is no question of going back on the decision now. We can’t reconcile with them now. Rejecting BJP`s charge that he was responsible for spilt in NDA, Kumar accused the saffron party of betraying the JD-U and ignoring its senior leaders in an apparent reference to LK Advani. The Bihar Chief Minister also expressed his displeasure over the elevation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the BJP’s 2014 Lok Sabha campaign committee chief despite strong opposition from the JD-U. “The changes recently announced by the BJP chief signals the end of Advani-Vajpayee era. How can we work with those people who betray their elders in the party?” Praising how former prime minister and senior BJP leader AB Vajpayee managed the BJP-led coalition, Nitish Kumar said, “The JD(U) parting ways with NDA is BJP`s failure. BJP created a situation in which even an old ally was forced to leave, If Vajpayee ji is unwell then the party could have entrusted the task of addressing the concerns of NDA allies to LK Advani but he was sidelined too.” “There have been no issues with the BJP’s Bihar unit but the problems came after the external influence started affecting them, “he clarified. Explaining why he sacked eleven BJP ministers in his cabinet, Kumar said “I have had cordial relations with deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Shushil Kumar Modi but I was forced to sack the BJP ministers in my cabinet since they skipped the cabinet meet and were not cooperating.” The reactions from the Bihar Chief Minister came a day after Bihar`s ruling JD-U ended its 17-year-old alliance with the BJP after days of simmering tensions, marking a major split in the country`s main opposition grouping. In a bitter end to weeks of feuding, Nitish Kumar also asked Governor DY Patil to sack all the 11 BJP ministers in his government for not working and vowed to prove his majority in the assembly on June 19. Simultaneously, JD-U president Sharad Yadav also announced that he was quitting as convenor of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The JD-U, one of the oldest allies of the BJP, is the 14th party to desert the NDA, which was born in 1998 and ruled India for six years under the leadership of the now ailing Atal Bihari Vajpayee.