Guwahati: Five of six MLAs of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Manipur on Friday, days after Nitish Kumar-led party broke ties with BJP in Bihar.
The Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly is pleased to accept the merger of five JD (U) MLAs with the BJP under the tenth schedule of the Constitution, according to a statement published by the Legislative Assembly Secretariat. Since the number of MLAs who switched parties exceeded two-thirds of the total, their switch was deemed legal.
The JD (U) MLAs who joined the BJP are Kh. Joykishan, N. Sanate, Md Achab Uddin, L.M. Khaute and Thangjam Arunkumar.
The JD (U) had won six of the 38 constituencies it had contested in the March assembly elections. The BJP, on the other hand, won a majority of 32 seats in the 60-member state Assembly.
The developments in Manipur sparked political overtones in Bihar. Sushil Kumar Modi, a BJP leader and Nitish Kumar’s former long-time deputy, took to Twitter to mock the JD (U).
“After Arunachal, Manipur is also JDU free. Very soon Laluji will make Bihar also JDU free,” he tweeted in Hindi.
अरुणांचल के बाद मणिपुर भी JDU मुक्त ।बहुत जल्द लालूजी बिहार को भी JDU मुक्त कर देंगे ।@ANI @ABPNews @News18India @News18Bihar @ZeeBiharNews
— Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) September 2, 2022
In response to Sushil Modi, JD (U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh tweeted in Hindi, “Want to remind you that both in Arunachal and Manipur, JD(U) won seats by defeating @BJP4India. So don’t daydream of liberation from JD(U). Was what happened in Arunachal Pradesh because of your adherence to the alliance commitment?”
In a subsequent tweet, Singh also said, “…and once again in Manipur @BJP4India’s moral conduct is in front of everyone. You must remember that in 2015, the Prime Minister held 42 meetings, only then 53 seats could be won. In 2024, the country will be free from jumlebaajs….just wait.”
.@SushilModi जी,
आपको स्मरण कराना चाहते हैं कि अरुणाचल और मणिपुर दोनों जगह जद (यू.) ने @BJP4India को हराकर सीटें जीती थी। इसलिए जद (यू.) से मुक्ति का दिवास्वप्न मत देखिए। अरुणाचल प्रदेश में जो हुआ था, वह आपके गठबंधन धर्म के पालन के कारण हुआ था ?
1/2— Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh (@LalanSingh_1) September 3, 2022
.@SushilModi जी,
2/2…..और मणिपुर में एक बार फिर @BJP4India का नैतिक आचरण सबके सामने है। आपको तो याद होगा 2015 में प्रधानमंत्री जी ने 42 सभायें की, तब जाकर 53 सीट ही जीत पाए थे। 2024 में देश जुमलेबाजों से मुक्त होगा…..इंतजार कीजिए।
— Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh (@LalanSingh_1) September 3, 2022