Bihar BJP offers to provide outside support to Nitish Kumar if he quits grand alliance

New Delhi: Bihar BJP chief Nityanand Rai, who met party president Amit Shah here on Monday, said his party could support state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar if he broke ties with the RJD.

"Nitish Kumar must take stand and suspend Tejashwi Yadav (Bihar Deputy CM) if he is not resigning from his post," Rai told a TV channel, in an interesting twist to the developments in the state.

He added that if Nitish pulls out of the alliance then the BJP "will not be a part of the government" but can offer "outside support" to the JD(U), in the interest of Bihar.

However, he insisted that the decision rested on the BJP's central leadership.

"If our central leadership gives such instructions, then we will support Nitish Kumar," he said, as per PTI.

Sushil Modi asks for Nitish's 'agnipariksha' by acting against Tejashwi:

Earlier on July 08, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi too had said that Nitish should undergo an 'agnipariksha' (trial by fire) by acting against his deputy, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, for his alleged involvement in a corruption case.

Kumar, who had earlier accepted the resignation letters of four of his ministers for their 'involvement' in corruption cases, should now take the same step against his deputy, he had told reporters.

"This is the CM's agnipariksha," the Bihar BJP leader had added.

The CBI had on Juky 07 conducted raids in four cities in connection with a corruption case, in which RJD chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi are among the accused.

"Nitish Kumar had once said he would not allow a tainted minister in his cabinet and accepted the resignations of Jitan Ram Manjhi, Awadhesh Kushwaha, Ramanand Singh and Ramadhar Singh for their alleged involvement in criminal cases," Modi had further said.

RJD says no to Tejashwi Yadav quitting:

Meanwhile, the RJD today said, "there was no question" of Tejashwi's resignation in the wake of his name appearing in the CBI FIR in the land-for-hotel case.

Senior party leader Jagdanand Singh informed reporters that Nitish had called up RJD president Lalu Prasad last night but refused to divulge what transpired in the telephonic talks between them.

Party legislator Mundrika Prasad Yadav said, "There is no question of his resignation".

Another RJD MLA Ramanuj Prasad echoed his views.

In the RJD Legislature Party's meeting, Tejashwi's work as its leader in the Assembly was praised, senior minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui told reporters after the meeting.

The Finance Minister in Nitish's grand alliance government, however, said, Yadav's resignation was not discussed at the meeting held at the 10 Circular road residence of f Rabri.

Lalu, Rabri, Tejashwi, his minister brother Tej Pratap Yadav were present in the meeting along with legislators and other senior leaders of the party. 

BJP and its NDA partners have been demanding Tejashwi's resignation over the issue.

Kumar or the JD(U) has not commented so far on Friday's CBI raids in four cities in connection with the case.

On the other hand, all eyes are now on Nitish who will tomorrow meet hundreds of delegates including MPs and state legislators from his party.

When Nitish decided to support to NDA's pick for Presidential poll:

To be noted is the fact that senior Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad had attacked Kumar for breaking ranks with the Opposition and supporting NDA's pick Ram Nath Kovind for the July 17 Presidential election.

He had alleged that Kumar wanted to ensure the defeat of 'Bihar ki Beti' Meira Kumar, who is the Opposition's candidate for the poll.

People having one ideology take one decision while those with many ideologies take different decisions, Azad had said, apparently referring to JD (U)'s long association with BJP.

Nitish on his part, had returned the fire by questioning Congress's shift from the ideologies of Mahatama Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

The JD(U) chief had made it clear that his party was no 'pichlagoo' (camp follower) of any party.

Lalu too has described it as Nitish's "Himalayan blunder".

(With Agency inputs)