Bihar BJP leader wants CM Nitish to leave Home portfolio, amid BJP-JDU Arunachal tussle

Even as Nitish Kumar's JDU is analysing the development in Arunachal Pradesh, BJP's Sanjay Paswan has said that Bihar CM Nitish Kumar is burdened with a lot of tasks and he should leave the Home portfolio of the state. Paswan said that law and order in the state will be affected if attention is not paid and CM Nitish has many responsibilities on him. As per a Hindi newspaper, Sanjay Paswan has added that Home portfolio should be with BJP. 

READ | Nitish Kumar Says 'will Discuss In Council' As 6 Of 7 JDU MLAs Switch To BJP In Arunachal

JDU MLAs switch sides

Janata Dal-United received a major jolt in Arunachal Pradesh, with six of its seven MLAs shifting allegiance to the ruling BJP. The JDU 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. On November 26, the JDU had issued show-cause notices to Siongju, Kharma and Taku for "anti-party" activities, and suspended them. The six JDU MLAs had earlier elected Talem Taboh as the new Legislature Party leader allegedly without the knowledge of senior party members. 

The JDU, 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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BJP attempts damage control 

BJP on Saturday attempted damage control even as JDU MLAs joined the saffron party. BJP asserted that it had "not poached" MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh and underscored that the disgruntled legislators had switched sides of their own accord. Calling Nitish Kumar the "guardian" of the NDA alliance in Bihar, Renu Devi, one of the Deputy CMs in Bihar, said that the development in Arunachal would not affect the tie-up in Bihar.

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