K'taka effect: Rival political parties in Bihar cross swords

Rival political parties in Bihar crossed swords over the political storm in Karnataka, where the three-day-old BJP government collapsed today, minutes before the scheduled trust vote.

BJP leaders in Bihar said that B S Yeddyurappa, who resigned as the Karnataka chief minister, has "followed the glorious legacy" of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, while Opposition parties including RJD, Congress, Hindustani Awam Morcha described the saffron party's aborted bid to form government in the southern state as "the last nail in its coffin".

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav predicted that the developments in Karnataka mark the countdown for the BJP's ouster from power in states such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh later this year and in the Lok Sabha polls next year.

"The BJP is trying to get power through the back door in Karnataka like it did in Bihar last year. But it has been asked to leave by the back door itself," Yadav told reporters here.

He also asked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to "break his silence" on the Karnataka political issue. He also wondered if Kumar's silence should be inferred as "an endorsement of the BJP's dirty tricks".

Congress legislature party leader Sadanand Singh, in a strongly-worded statement, said the developments in Bengaluru mark the "victory of democracy and the defeat of the BJP's machinations."