Opposition parties slam Nitish for ‘betraying Bihar mandate’

New Delhi/Ranchi, July 27 (IANS) The opposition Congress, RJD and BSP on Thursday slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for joining hands with the BJP-led NDA and said it was a "betrayal" of the public mandate in the 2015 assembly elections.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad dubbed Nitish Kumar a "big opportunist" while Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said he had ditched the Grand Alliance in Bihar for his "personal gains".

Addressing the media in Ranchi after Nitish Kumar took oath as the Chief Minister in Patna to bring an alliance government of the Janata Dal-United and the Bharatiya Janata Party to power, Lalu Prasad accused the JD-U chief of "conspiring" with the BJP to get graft cases filed against his family by central agencies.

He reiterated that the JD-U chief was facing a murder charge and should resign.

Nitish Kumar headed the Grand Alliance government that included the Janata Dal-United, the RJD and the Congress.

Lalu Prasad said he planned to approach the Supreme Court to appeal against the Governor's decision not to invite the RJD to form the new government since it was the single largest party in the assembly.

"Nitish Kumar has cheated the people of Bihar," Lalu Prasad said, adding that BJP leader Sushil Modi, who was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister, was asked to run a campaign to tarnish the image of his family members.

The former Union Minister also termed Nitish Kumar as 'Bhasmasur', referring to the mythical demon who destroyed himself, and said he (Lalu Prasad) had made him the Chief Minister despite the RJD emerging as the single largest party after the assembly polls.

Lalu Prasad said the mandate was against the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in the 2015 elections.

"He (Nitish Kumar) used to say he will never compromise with communal forces and swore he will not return to the BJP. This is a huge betrayal to the Bihar people and to us," the RJD chief said.

In Patna, the RJD threatened it will not allow the Monsoon Session of the assembly to run smoothly unless Nitish Kumar and Sushil Kumar Modi resigned.

Rahul Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament in Delhi that they were aware of "what was going on for the last three-four months".

"This is the problem with Indian politics. For the sake of power and personal gains, they compromise with anything."

Party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "This is a black day for India's democracy. A story of 'rank opportunism and treachery with people's mandate' was written in Bihar today (Thursday) by the BJP and Nitish Kumar. Truth is that hunger for power has overpowered everything else."

He said Nitish Kumar was appointed the Chief Minister after assembly elections with the good wishes of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Referring to the formation of governments in Goa and Manipur, Surjewala said that "decimating democracy and denigrating people's mandate" had become the way forward for the BJP at the Centre.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati accused Nitish Kumar of "betraying" the people of Bihar and said they had voted against the "so-called Modi wave" and delivered a stunning defeat to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She said the mandate should have been respected for the complete five years.

Mayawati accused the BJP of misusing government machinery and said it was endangering Indian democracy.

"After Manipur and Goa, political developments in Bihar prove that under the Modi government, the future of democracy is in danger," she said.