Congress' Adhir Ranjan wants Nitish to 'stay in touch' as Arunachal JDU MLAs join BJP

With Congress party leaders jumping ship across the country and the leadership crisis in the party not coming to an end, the party's MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has now made a remark over the issue of Arunachal Pradesh JDU leaders joining BJP. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday warned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the BJP's "poaching skill" and asked him to "keep in touch" with opposition parties in the state. This comes ahead of JDU party meet on Sunday called by Nitish Kumar to analyse the situation and to decide on its further move. 

Chowdhury said, "They believe in exclusive political 'Atma Nirvar', construction of only BJP and destruction of all non-BJPs are the mantra of saffron brigade. Before being torn into pieces and to be withered away by the same machination as you are now experiencing in Arunachal Pradesh. Nitish Kumar Ji, explore new ideas which may include keeping in touch with the opposition in Bihar as an antidote to withstand the Arunachal Syndrome. Under the sun, the thirst of BJP party's wholesale aggression can not be quenched."

RJD dares Nitish Kumar

Meanwhile, RJD hinted at the possibility of a fresh alignment in Bihar if Nitish Kumar chose to snap ties with the BJP following the "humiliation" in Arunachal Pradesh. RJD national vice-president Shivanand Tiwary, however, made it clear that the ball lies in the court of the JDU boss, adding that the incident was engineered by BJP to settle old scores.Tiwary recalled the incident of about a decade ago when Kumar had cancelled a dinner organised for visiting BJP leaders who were in Patna to take part in the party's national executive.

"Nitish Kumar had then made it amply clear that while he was okay with the BJP, he was very much averse to Narendra Modi, his then Gujarat counterpart. Now, Modi is not a man who is going to forgive and forget the slight", Tiwary said. He added, "the BJPs strategy is, firstly, to cut into Nitish Kumar's seats, which it did successfully in the assembly polls. Now it has begun to humiliate him. What else could explain poaching of six JD(U) MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh where the BJP was already enjoying a very comfortable majority. If he leaves the NDA, it cannot be that we will join hands with the BJP to run Nitish Kumar down. We have been consistent in opposing the BJP and he joined us for some time but switched sides because of reasons best known to him".

READ | BJP Attempts Damage Control As 6 JDU Arunachal MLAs Jump Ship; Nitish's Camp Huddles Up

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JDU MLAs switch sides

On Friday, the  Janata Dal-United received a major jolt in Arunachal Pradesh, with six of its seven MLAs shifting allegiance to the ruling BJP, a bulletin issued by the state legislative assembly said. The JD(U) MLAs who switched sides are Talem Taboh from Rumgong Assembly Constituency, Hayeng Mangfi (Chayang Tajo), Jikke Tako (Tali), Dorjee Wangdi Kharma (Kalaktang), Dongru Siongju (Bomdila) and Kanggong Taku from Mariyang-Geku constituency, the bulletin said. The development comes a day ahead of the announcement of the panchayat and municipal poll results.

On November 26, the JD(U) had issued show-cause notices to Siongju, Kharma and Taku for "anti-party" activities, and suspended them. The six JD(U) MLAs had earlier elected Talem Taboh as the new Legislature Party leader allegedly without the knowledge of senior party members. The PPA MLA was also suspended by the regional outfit earlier this month. BJP has now accepted the JDU MLAs' letter of intent to join the party. 

The JD(U), led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, won seven of the 15 seats it contested in the 2019 assembly elections and emerged as the second-largest party after the BJP, which had bagged 41 seats. Congress and the National People's Party (NPP) have four members each. 

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READ | RJD Challenges Nitish Kumar To Snap Ties With BJP Following Arunachal Developments