Nitish Kumar has betrayed Bihar by taking RJD's support: Sushil Kumar Modi

Patna: Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Thursday came down heavily on the ruling Janata Dal United for taking its bitter rival Rashtriya Janata Dal's support to ensure the survival of its government in Bihar.

Modi said that JDU leader Nitish Kumar had fought against RJD in the 2005 and 2010 Bihar Assembly elections and promised a clean, efficient and development oriented government. But now Nitish Kumar has betrayed that mandate and taken help from RJD chief Lalu Prasad to fight the BJP, said Modi.

"Nitish Kumar's ethics, principles and policies have been exposed after he joined hands with the Congress and RJD. His only aim is power and he is indulging in this kind of politics to save the JDU government," said Modi, who once enjoyed very cordial relationship with Nitish Kumar.

The BJP leader alleged that JDU, RJD and Congress had entered into a secret understanding during the recent Lok Sabha elections too. Pointing out that JDU's Kishanganj candidate Akhtarul Iman had withdrawn from the polls in favor of Congress's Ashraraul Haque, who eventually won, he said that after realising that his party was not in the race, Nitish Kumar tried to transfer his votes in favor of the RJD-led alliance.

"JDU tried to help the RJD-Congress alliance in Sheohar, Valmiki Nagar, Madhubani, Siwan and a few other seats," claimed Modi.

"Nitish Kumar has betrayed the people of Bihar who voted for the JDU-BJP alliance in the last two Assembly elections. In the 2010 Assembly election, JDU-BJP got two-thirds majority as people did not want the return of Lalu raaj. Bihar has not forgotten the 15-year long Lalu-Rabri misrule. In the next Assembly elections Nitish will get a befitting reply," he added.

Lalu's RJD, which has 21 MLAs, announced unconditional support to the JDU government in Bihar on Thursday. The JDU has 117 MLAs and is backed by Congress's 4 MLAs, CPI's one legislator and two Independents.

Nitish Kumar resigned as Bihar chief minister on May 17 after his party was decimated in the Lok Sabha elections. On May 19 he got his close aide Jeetan Ram Manjhi elected as JDU Legislative Party leader. Manjhi took oath as Bihar Chief Minister on May 21 and will seek vote of confidence in Bihar Assembly on May 23.