RJD says 'BJP hatching conspiracy'; extols Nitish's ability 'to calculate next move'

Opining on ex-ally CM Nitish Kumar, RJD veteran Shivanand Tiwari on Sunday, said that JDU was facing issues with the way BJP was behaving. Commenting on the recent switch of 6 of 7 JDU MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh to BJP, Tiwari said that 'Nitish Kumar can calculate BJP's next step, it is hatching a conspiracy'. Currently, the JDU is in a 125-seat coalition with the BJP in Bihar Assembly - with JDU having only 43 seats - down from 71 in 2015.

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: India records 18,732 fresh cases; lowest daily spike in 6 months

RJD: 'BJP is hatching conspiracy against Nitish' 

Incidentally, BJP's Sanjay Paswan on Sunday 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. This suggestion may be done as it is the Home department in the various BJP-ruled states which drafted the contentious 'Love Jihad' Laws - which JDU has defied.

JD(U) is currently at a backfoot after six of its seven MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh Assembly quit the party and joined BJP. Terming it 'against coalition dharma', JDU has maintained that BJP is an ally only in Bihar. It has asserted that it will contest against the saffron party in West Bengal and Assam.

Nitish Kumar, the 7-time Bihar CM: A look at his journey from Engineer to 'Sushasan Babu'

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. . All six MLAs have joined BJP, with the saffron party scrambling to defend its move.

 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. Renu Devi said, "We had not poached them (JD(U) MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh). What could our party have done if some legislators voluntarily expressed desire to join us?".

JDU defies BJP on 'Love Jihad'; says 'no need for such laws that spread hatred'

MVA rift deepens; Ashok Chavan says 'Sena not part of UPA' amid alliance chief row