New Delhi: Responding to Lalan Singh stepping down as the JD(U) chief, making way for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to hold the top post, BJP leader Sushil Modi said this was just the tip of the iceberg and a lot more is yet to unfold. Speaking to news agency ANI, the former Bihar deputy chief minister said the leadership change in ruling JD(U) has set off a power game and this is just the beginning.
Sushil Modi claimed that Lalan Singh was removed from his post as he was engineering defections in the party with a plan to install Tejashwi Yadav as the next chief minister of Bihar. However, Nitish Kumar got a whiff of what was brewing and removed Lalan Singh timely, ANI reported.
“We had already announced earlier that Lalan Singh would be removed since he broke 12-13 MLAs off the JD(U) party and he had prepared to make Tajashwi Yadav the chief minister by joining hands with Lalu Yadav. However, Nitish Kumar got to know it so he pre-empted it and removed Lalan Singh timely,” ANI quoted Sushil Modi as saying.
He further said that the rejig was “just the beginning of the game and a lot of it is left”.
Ruling out Nitish Kumar’s chances of returning to the saffron fold, Sushil Modi said the doors to NDA are closed for him. “He held all the reins of the party earlier and has returned to the top post of the party. Nitish Kumar was under the impression that the Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc would make him the convenor or the party’s PM face. However, all doors to his return to the NDA are closed,” the BJP leader told the news agency.
Speaking on the political churn, BJP leader Giriraj Singh said Nitish Kumar won’t be able to hold onto the post for too long.
Notably, Nitish Kumar took over the reins of the Janata Dal (United) president on Friday after Lalan Singh stepped down from the post at the national executive meeting in New Delhi.