BJP's Ram Kripal Yadav terms Nitish Kumar 'Drama King'

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Kripal Yadav on Monday described former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's resignation on Saturday as an act of pure drama, and insisted that Kumar would do his best to cling onto power in the state.

"Nitish Kumar is a Drama King; he is still in power because of that. The people have lost confidence in him, and even his own party MLAs are against him. He devised this game plan for power and will do anything to stay in power," Yadav said.

On being asked if the BJP was in a position to provide an alternate government in the state, Yadav said, "Right now, the BJP does not have a majority. Our party has only said that the present government is in a minority, and so, only elections can decide anything."

The JD (U) legislature party has decided to take a final call on choosing a new leader today in the wake of Kumar's resignation on Saturday.

Party MLAs yesterday unanimously chose Kumar as their leader and insisted that he withdraw his resignation, but Nitish refused. He sought a day's time to decide on the matter.

After the meeting here, JD(U) General Secretary Anjani Kumar said that party's MLA want Nitish to continue as chief minister.

Nitish had stepped down from the top post on Saturday after taking moral responsibility for the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections.

Kumar has not recommended dissolution of the assembly, this leaving a window for formation of a new government, if any other party cobbles up majority in the 243-member house.

The JD-U won only two parliamentary seats out of 40 in Bihar while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) cornered 31 seats. Modi's BJP won 282 seats, 10 more than the majority required to rule.

With its allied parties, in the recently concluded general elections paving for a comfortable tally of around 337 - the clearest result since the 1984 assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi propelled her son Rajiv to office.