News Analysis India

Tag: JDU

  • Former Bihar education minister Mewalal Chaudhry succumbs to COVID-19

    By ANI
    PATNA: Former Bihar Education Minister and Janata Dal (United) MLA Mewalal Chaudhry passed away on Monday morning, party sources confirmed. The minister had tested positive for COVID-19 last week and was going under treatment in Paras hospital where he succumbed to the infection. He passed away at 4 am today.

    Chaudhary, who was the sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Bihar’s Tarapur constituency, was removed from the chair of Education Minister on corruption charges.

    Meanwhile, the Bihar government on Sunday has imposed night curfew in the state. The state government has also decided that schools, colleges and other educational institutions in Bihar will remain shut till May 15. During this period, state-run schools and universities will not conduct any exams.

    Moreover, the Bihar government has decided to provide a bonus salary of one month to all healthcare workers this year.

    As per an official statement, there are 39,498 active cases of COVID-19 in Bihar, while the death toll due to the infection have mounted to 1,722 in the last 24 hours on Sunday.

  • RJD calls Bihar bandh Friday to protest police action in Bihar assembly

    By PTI
    PATNA: RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Thursday gave a call for “Bihar Bandh” on March 26 in protest against forceful eviction of opposition MLAs from the assembly when they were agitating against the police bill two days back.

    Yadav further said that the bandh would include matters concerning unemployment and farmers issue on which a call for all India bandh on Friday has been given by the farmers’ bodies.

    The RJD leader claimed that the bandh has the support of Congress and other opposition parties that included left parties- CPI-ML, CPI(M) and CPI.

    “We have given a call for Bihar bandh tomorrow in the state. Though an all-India call has already been given by the farmers’ bodies for March 26. We witnessed a black day on March 23, the day when the state government murdered the democracy,” Tejashwi said.

    “Our MLAs were beaten up by police while holding dharna peacefully in front of the Speakers chamber,” the leader of opposition in the assembly told reporters here.

    The legislative assembly had witnessed unprecedented chaos when the grand alliance legislators had gheraoed the speaker’s chamber literally taking him hostage and their women members had prevented the speaker from taking his seat in the house later.

    Videos of the unruly scenes on Tuesday showed opposition members laying seize of speaker’s chamber and some of them being bodily evicted by the police and marshals later.

    Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had severely criticised the “unparliamentary” behavior of the opposition MLAs and while emphasizing on the need for the Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021, had said had they debated the legislation the government could have cleared their doubts point-by-point.

    Hitting out at the chief minister, the RJD leader said “Kumar is in the last stage of his (political) career.

    The post (of CM) is not meant permanently for anybody”.

    He, however, also warned officials allegedly working at the behest of their political masters and said that they Should know that no one knows as when the government will collapse.

    “Bihar police have become JD(U) police,” he said while asserting that he is not afraid of them.

    “The state government will have to withdraw the ‘black legislation’ or at least it will have to bring certain amendments to the bill which has been passed forcibly,” he said.

    The bill has already been passed by both houses of the state legislature.

    In reply to a query that action may be taken against them (RJD members) for their misconduct in the assembly on March 23, he said “we are not afraid of any action.

    We are not like BJP workers who get frightened by such intimidation”.

    Highlighting past precedents of gheroe of speaker’s chamber, Yadav said “In 1974, socialists had occupied speakers chair and conducted the proceedings during Congress regime but police force was not called inside the assembly.

    “Not only this, Karpoori Thakur as CM had referred a bill to select committee after stiff protest from opposition in 1978,” Tejashwi said reminding Kumar of the past happenings.

    In 1986 when CM Kumar was himself a member of the House, Karpoori Thakur had sat on dharna for three consecutive days in the assembly on the issue of HEC, the 31-year-old son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad who was not even born then, said while asserting that police was not called inside the house even at that time.

  • Don’t mess with numerically stronger NDA: Nitish warns Opposition

    By PTI
    PATNA: Enraged over the day-long rumpus created by the opposition on the previous day, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday warned the Grand Alliance against provoking the ruling NDA which was numerically stronger.

    Kumar made the remark inside the legislative council where he rose to intervene when MLCs of the opposition coalition led by RJD tried to create a ruckus over the previous day’s happenings inside the assembly.

    The Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021, which had led to the day-long drama on Tuesday, was presented and being debated inside the Upper House a day later when Grand Alliance members made noises about the “high handed” manner in which MLAs were thrown out of the assembly a day earlier.

    Quivering with rage, the 70 years old chief minister screamed at the top of his voice “the entire public saw what goondaism took place yesterday. They will give you a befitting reply”.

    Waving an angry finger at Congress MLCs, Kumar said they seemed to have lost their sense of propriety following their long association with Lalu Prasads party which has often been accused of rowdyism.

    He also said “do not forget that we are greater in number than you are. Yesterday, people of this side sat quietly, maintaining decorum, while you were engaging in mischief. Be mindful of the consequences”.

    In the 243-member assembly, the ruling NDA has 126 MLAs besides it enjoys the support of an Independent.

    The opposition has 110 legislators while AIMIM has 5 and one MLA is from LJP.

    In the 75-member legislative council, the ruling coalition has overwhelming numbers.

    Later, talking to reporters, Kumar expressed displeasure over the opposition accusing him directly of having called the police, on Tuesday, inside to help marshals physically evict the most unruly of the opposition MLAs.

    “It is the Speakers prerogative to requisition whatever resources he deems necessary to maintain order inside the premises.

    “Whatever happened yesterday was unusual but has there been any other instance, in any state legislature, of the Speaker having been held hostage”, Kumar asked.

    He also deplored the opposition indulging in acts like tearing up documents and throwing shreds of paper towards the Chair besides clambering atop the speakers dais to physically prevent him from running the House.

    Asked about the intention expressed by speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha that action might be taken against those MLAs whose behaviour was found most objectionable, the chief minister replied “the government has nothing to do with that.

    “If the speaker deems it fit, he will take action in accordance with rules. We will neither egg him on nor try to restrain him”.

  • After RLSP -JD(U) merger, Nitish Kumar rewards Upendra Kushwaha with top party post

    By PTI
    PATNA: Bihar’s ruling JD(U) on Sunday received a shot in the arm with the merger of RLSP of Upendra Kushwaha, a former protege of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who came back under his wing nine years after having fallen apart.

    The merger took place at the JD(U) state headquarters here, where the chief minister welcomed Kushwaha, a former Union minister, by presenting him with a bouquet.

    Top JD(U) leaders like Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, Sanjay Kumar Jha and Vashisth Narayan Singh and key office bearers of the now dissolved RLSP like Madhaw Anand and Fazl Imam Mallick were also present.

    The much-anticipated reunion, likely to be mutually beneficial, comes on the back of hectic parleys between the two leaders in the recent past.

    Soon after he was inducted into the JD(U), Kumar announced Kushwaha’s appointment as the national parliamentary board president “with immediate effect”.

    Kushwaha, who brings on table his support base of the sizeable Koeri caste, vowed to make the JD(U) “the number one party” in Bihar and said that after having been witness to “many ups and downs” as the RLSP founding chief, he looked forward to making use of his experience under the guidance of Nitish Kumar.

    Kushwaha was in political wilderness since his exit from NDA in 2017.

    READ HERE | Friendship restored: Upendra Kushwaha announces official merger of RLSP with JDU in Bihar

    Feeling “stifled” in the RJD-led Grand Alliance, he quit the coalition ahead of the assembly elections last year and ended up facing political isolation notwithstanding the support of his Koeri community which is the second most populous OBC group in Bihar after the Yadavas.

    Kumar, who is serving his fourth consecutive term in power, has suffered a diminution in clout on account of the JD(U)’s unimpressive performance in the assembly elections which saw him lose the upper hand to the BJP.

    The chief minister, who has since relinquished the post of the JD(U) president, nonetheless enjoys supreme control over the party and has been busy consolidating his Luv-Kush (Kurmi-Koeri) base, in a bid to hold his own against the BJP juggernaut.

    Kumar himself is a Kurmi, a caste that is numerically small but very influential by virtue of being economically and educationally advanced.

    After cutting his teeth as a youth leader in the Lok Dal and Janata Dal, Kushwaha went on to become the deputy leader in the state assembly of the Samata Party, a breakaway group which Kumar had formed along with veteran socialist leader George Fernandes.

    ALSO READ | Protesting JDU merger, 35 senior RLSP leaders join RJD, attack Upendra Kushwaha

    By 2004, after the JD(U) an entity formed with the merger of Samata Party with Janata Dal’s splinter group headed by Sharad Yadav emerged as the senior NDA partner, Kushwaha became the Leader of the Opposition.

    He got expelled from the JD(U) for anti-party activities in 2007, but was re-inducted two years later.

    He was rewarded with a Rajya Sabha seat but ambition got the better of him in 2013 when he fell apart with Kumar once again and floated the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party.

    The BJP-led NDA, which was then desperate for new allies in the wake of the exit of Kumar, welcomed Kushwaha and his fledgling party won three seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, riding the Modi wave.

    Kushwaha himself was appointed the Minister of State for HRD, a post he held till his exit from the NDA.

    Meanwhile, Ashok Choudhary, one of the closest aides of the chief minister, summed up the buoyancy in JD(U) camp.

    “It is being increasingly clear to all that the future belongs to the brand of politics popularised by Nitish Kumar. In the recent past, many have crossed over. Upendra Kushwaha’s return adds another chapter. In future, many more may follow,” he said.

  • Protesting JDU merger, 35 senior RLSP leaders join RJD, attack Upendra Kushwaha

    Express News Service
    PATNA: Amid the speculations about the RLSP-JDU merger, nearly 35 senior leaders of RLSP including working state president and principal general secretary joined Bihar’s principal opposition party-RJD, in a dramatic way on Friday.

    Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Tejashwi Yadav, along with party state chief Jagdanand Singh gave them the primary memberships of the party. The prominent faces who joined RJD giving an existential threat to RLSP are state president Virendra Kushwaha, principal general secretary Nirmal Kushwaha, state president of Women’s Cell Madhu Manjari Mehta and former state president Vijay Mahato and others. All of them received the RJD membership in the presence of Tejashwi Yadav.

    They attacked Upendra Kushwaha for his decision to merge RLSP with JDU. Lashing out at Upendra Kushwaha and Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav said, “It was Nitish Kumar, who had dubbed Upendra Kushwaha during the state assembly election as ‘neech’ indirectly. Now, Kushwaha ji has decided to go with him — the weakest chief minister of the country.”

    “Only Upendra Kushwaha is left to survive or sink in the RLSP”, he mocked. Quoting an old statement of Upendra Kushwaha, Tejashwi said that once he often used to say that no one needs an enemy if he has a friend like Nitish Kumar.  Now, he is going to be merged with Nitish Kumar and the CM has also become so restless to welcome Kushwaha”, he said.

    रालोसपा के संस्थापकों, प्रमुख नेताओं व पदाधिकारियों ने रालोसपा के राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष उपेंद्र कुशवाहा जी को निष्कासित कर पार्टी का आज राजद में विलय कर दिया। प्रदेश की राजनीति में यह एक बड़ा बदलाव है। उपेंद्र कुशवाहा जी अब अकेले रह गये है। उनकी पार्टी अब राजद का हिस्सा बन चुकी है। pic.twitter.com/L4HVatzmym
    — Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) March 12, 2021

    He also made a frontal attack on Nitish Kumar saying that Kumar survives on the support of “Baisakhi” (support or anchor) of BJP in Bihar.  “In Bihar, the development of double engine has come to a standstill.”, Yadav sarcastically said.

    Earlier, on March 6, 41 RLSP leaders had joined the JDU.  Meanwhile, poll analysts Arun Kumar Pandey said that RLSP has been weakened by the desertion of 35 leaders. “ But once Upendra Kushwaha, who has been projecting himself as an alternate to Nitish Kumar is speculated to be under the same man if his party merges ahead with JDU”, Pandey said.

    Meanwhile, sources said that the RLSP will merger with JDU after March 14.

  • Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP likely to merge with JDU on March 14

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Bihar’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) is likely to merge with Janata Dal-United on March 14 in Patna. State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is also likely to be present on the occasion of the merger.

    A senior leader of the RLSP told ANI, “RLSP has convened a two-day meeting at Patna on March 13-14 to seek approval from party workers on the merger with the JD-U. The move comes after the debacle in the state Assembly elections 2020.”

    Under the leadership of Upendra Kushwaha, the party had failed to secure even a single seat in the 243 member Bihar Assembly.

    Speaking to ANI, Secretary-General of RLSP Madhav Anand, a close associate of Upendra Kushwaha said: “Wait till March 14 and you will know the decision of the party.”

    JD-U sources are also hopeful that the impending merger would have a wide-ranging impact on Bihar’s politics.

    “RLSP’s merger plan with JD-U is almost finalised and is expected to be announced on March 14 in Patna. We hope that this merger will strengthen the JD-U and will have a significant impact on the state’s politics,” a senior JD-U leader said.

    It is believed that the move comes as part of JD-U’s plans to consolidate its vote bank in the state. The JD-U has only 43 MLAs and is the junior partner in the NDA government. With 74 legislators, the Bharatiya Janata Party had emerged as the big brother in the 2020 Assembly polls.

    In the recent Bihar Assembly polls RLSP fought the elections as part of an alliance comprising, among others, Asaduddin Owaisis AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) and Mayawatis’ Bahujan Samaj Party, declaring itself the Chief Ministerial candidate but could not win even a single seat.

    In November 2020, JD-U President Nitish Kumar took oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the fourth straight term.

    The NDA secured a 125-seat majority in the 243-seat strong Bihar Legislative Assembly, of which BJP won on 74 seats, JD-U on 43 while eight seats were won by two other NDA constituents. 

  • Giriraj saying errant officials be beaten up with sticks not okay: Nitish hits back at Union Minister

    By PTI
    PATNA/BEGUSARAI: Union minister Giriraj Singh’s declamation that officials who did not listen to the people be “beaten up with bamboo sticks” was on Sunday frowned upon by his former boss, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

    Singh made his latest controversial remark at a function in his Begusarai Lok Sabha constituency on the previous day.

    The firebrand BJP leader was visibly peeved over repeated complaints from locals that officials often paid no heed when they were approached with grievances.

    Kumar, in whose cabinet Singh had served till less than a decade ago, was asked by journalists what he thought about the utterances.

    “You should go and ask Giriraj whether the use of such language is nyaysangat (proper),” said Kumar, a stickler for propriety in public behaviour, with a broad smile barely concealing his detestation.

    The Union minister, who moved to the Centre in 2014 and was elevated from MoS to the cabinet rank five years later, had made the remark at a function organised by an agricultural institute.

    Singh, who earlier represented Nawada but won Begusarai for his party by defeating CPI’s Kanhaiya Kumar by a margin of over four lakh votes, holds animal husbandry, fisheries and dairy portfolios.

    A video footage of the function has gone viral on social media.

    Singh can be heard lamenting, “People come to me with the complaint that officials do not listen (nai sunaichhe, an idiom in local Angika dialect).”

    “If that is the case, baans lekar maaro (beat them up with bamboo sticks),” said the MP, known for shooting from the hip, as some of the audience burst into laughter.

    “If you are approaching an official with a genuine grouse, you do not even need to come to me asking for help. Stand your ground. Giriraj is there with you, always. It is you (the people) in whom the real power is vested, not MPs, MLAs, DMs, BDOs or Mukhiyas,” he had added.

  • Will Upendra Kushwaha return to NDA? Former union minister refuses to reveal cards

    By PTI
    PATNA: Former union minister Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday kept his cards close to the chest when asked about his much-speculated return to the NDA, but said the “future course” will be announced after a meeting of his Rashtriya Lok Samata Party scheduled next week.

    The RLSP chief dodged queries about his numerous meetings, in the recent past, with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his former mentor, whom he had revolted against a decade ago quitting the JD(U) and charting out his own path.

    Kumar, on his part, replied with a cryptic “lets see” when he was asked elsewhere by journalists about the cornered Kushwahas possible return under his wing.

    Kushwaha, who celebrated his partys ninth foundation day, told reporters “our partys national and state executives will meet here on March 13-14. The future course will be decided thereafter”.

    About his meetings with the chief minister, he quipped with a tinge of mischief “why do you want to stop me from meeting him”.

    However, to a pointed query about reports in a section of the media that the RLSP was all set to “merge” with the JD(U), Kushwaha said testily “it is you people who write such stuff. Only you can shed more light on this”.

    When pointed out that veteran JD(U) leader Vashishtha Narayan Singh has also said that Kushwaha was all set for a return to the NDA, Kushwaha replied “he is a senior leader. I cannot comment on him. I can speak about only what I have myself said in the past”.

    Kushwaha, who was then a JD(U) Rajya Sabha member, had parted ways in 2013 and floated his own outfit.

    The BJP, which was in search of allies in Bihar after being dumped by Nitish Kumar, readily accepted the RLSP into its fold a year later.

    The fledgling party won all the three Lok Sabha seats it contested, riding the Modi wave and Kushwaha, elected from Karakat, won a berth in the Union council of ministers.

    He grew uneasy in the NDA a few years later and crossed over to the Grand Alliance on the eve of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, quitting his ministerial berth.

    The five-party grand alliance fared miserably in the elections and the RLSP chief, who also suffered the mortification of both his MLAs and sole MLC joining the JD(U), burnt his bridges with the Congress-RJD combine ahead of the assembly polls last year.

    He fought the elections as part of an alliance comprising, among others, Asaduddin Owaisis AIMIM and Mayawatis BSP.

    The RLSP drew a blank though its leader was declared the “Chief Ministerial candidate”.

    Kushwaha and Kumar are understood to have agreed upon a mutually beneficial realignment.

    The RLSP chief badly needs an opportunity to come out of political wilderness.

    The chief minister, who has been outperformed by the BJP in elections, is now busy consolidating his grip over the “Luv Kush” combination, a colloquial term for OBC Kurmis and Koeris who have stood by Kumars side in the worst of times.

  • Bihar Assembly adjourned multiple times amid pandemonium by Opposition members

    By PTI
    PATNA: The Bihar Assembly was adjourned multiple times on Wednesday as the opposition members created a ruckus in the House over Social Welfare Minister Madan Sahni’s remark against CPI(ML) legislators.

    Members of CPI(ML) rushed to the well of the House, seeking an apology from the minister for his comment which he made while replying to the call attention notice of Mahboob Alam, a legislator of the party, on the issue of alleged delay in payment of old age pension through direct benefit transfer.

    The CPI(ML) legislators were joined by the RJD and Congress members in their agitation and shouted slogans against the NDA government in the state.

    Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha ordered that the objectionable words used by Sahni against the opposition members would not be in the record.

    Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary was seen trying to pacify the agitating members.

    He expressed regret on behalf of the government for Sahni’s remark.

    Choudhary said the government wants to assure all the members of the House that it had no intention to disregard any legislator.

    Since it was the last item in the list of business in the pre-lunch session, the speaker adjourned the House till 2 pm.

    The speaker convened an all-party meeting in his chamber during the lunch break to resolve the issue but the opposition members refused to pay heed to his request.

    When the members reassembled for the post-lunch session, the opposition MLAs continued their protest and demanded that the minister should be asked to resign.

    They also alleged that Sahni made his comment against CPI(ML) members deliberately.

    As the Speaker’s request to members seeking their cooperation failed to yield any result, he adjourned the House for around 20 minutes till 3 pm.

    Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad presented the second supplementary budget of Rs 19,370.03 crore for the current fiscal in the post-lunch session, amid the din in the House.

    Prasad, who holds the finance portfolio, earmarked Rs 9,530.27 crore for annual schemes and Rs 9,399.98 crore for the establishment and committed expenditure.

    As soon as the legislators assembled again after 3 pm, the noisy scene was witnessed and the speaker adjourned the House till 11 am on Thursday.

  • Bihar assembly witnesses different shades of Nitish Kumar as he lashes out at Opposition

    By PTI
    PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday strongly defended his government against accusations of maladministration and berated the opposition for its allegations but making itself scarce whenever it was countered with facts.

    Observations to the effect were made repeatedly by the chief minister on the floor of the Assembly while replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the governors address.

    The 70-year-old leader spoke for more than an hour and the last 30 minutes were spent with the opposition in abstentia as MLAs of the RJD, Congress and the Left staged a walkout expressing dissatisfaction with the chief ministers reply.

    “You all are free to go wherever you wish. But please make it a point to watch my speech on TV. I am responding to the very points you all had raised,” Kumar said sarcastically after the Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav signaled to his flock that it was time to leave the House.

    The chief minister kept his cool while reacting to barbs of the opposition leaders, but responded with righteous anger when a CPI-ML member sought to disparage his governments efforts at environmental preservation.

    “Do not become enemies of the environment contending that the poor have nothing to do with it. You have been lucky to win 12 seats for the first time. Do not waste your opportunity in this fashion,” Kumar shot back at the leader of CPI-ML with which he had allied in the 1995 assembly polls.

    He also came down heavily on suggestions made by various leaders of the Congress that his governments decision to ban alcohol be reviewed and some liquor shops be allowed to do business.

    Prohibition law was unanimously passed by this House, Kumar said referring to the development of April, 2016 when Congress was his alliance partner.

    He also whipped out a bundle of papers, saying this is the form which everyone signs while taking primary membership of the Congress party.

    “There is a column wherein the aspirant has to declare that he will consume no intoxicants. And the members of the very party have the temerity to speak in favour of liquor consumption. Prohibition is an idea inspired from Gandhian ideals,” Kumar fumed.

    The chief minister was at his paternalistic best when he was interrupted by 31-year-old Yadav number of times.

    “I did not interrupt you when you were delivering your speech. It gives me delight when the younger generation takes interest. We are not here for eternity. But being attentive to what is being said now will be of benefit to you and your generation, Kumar said disarmingly. Speaking with his face mask at his chin, Kumar also remarked smiling pointing to the opposition, You all seem to be less careful. This is not proper. If you have forgotten to bring your masks along, please contact the Speaker who has made arrangements for such situations.”

    Asserting that the state has made giant strides in power consumption, he agreed that the rates were quite high.

    “Bihar is paying Rs 4.50 per unit, highest for any state, a reason why I had suggested one nation one rate for power.”

    He had made the suggestion at a meeting of Niti Ayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.

    When Yadav interrupted again blaming the states power woes on policies formulated two decades ago by the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at the Centre, Kumar, who has been an old associate of the formers father Lalu Prasad, remarked You were a child at that time.

    “I am one of those on whose lap you used to play. You seem to know a lot about what took place back then. Come to me with the material you have. I can say only about the portfolios I held,” said Kumar who had served as the Minister for Railways, Surface Transport and Agriculture in the Vajpayee government.

    He fondly recalled the work done by Vajpayee government which paved the way for the rapid progress Bihar has witnessed in the past decade and a half.

    “We would like to know about you experience with the current regime,” quipped Yadav in a snide reference to Kumar’s not so comfortable equation with Modi, whose elevation in the BJP he had strongly opposed in 2013 and exited the NDA.

    To this Kumar retorted If you insist on that I would ask you to speak about your experience of the year and eight months you worked with me.

    Yadav had served as Kumars deputy, the post to which he was appointed soon after his electoral debut in 2015 and which he held until the JD(U) leader returned to the NDA in 2017.

    The RJD leader had in his speech sought to put the government on the mat on the issue of law and order and claimed that as per NCRB figures cognizable offences have seen a more than 100 per cent rise since Kumar took over.

    Kumar countered Bihar has slipped to the 25th position in the country in terms of the number of cognizable offences and added more on that later when the Home department reels out statistics in due course.

    AIMIM state president and MLA Akhtarul Iman, who stayed back after the Grand Alliance members had walked out, tried to interrupt Kumar and raise the demand for making Purnea in north Bihar the states up-rajdhani (second capital).

    “This is unnecessary. Patna is now well connected to the farthest corners of Bihar,” Kumar asserted.