Nitish may change stand on demonetisation due to pressure from allies

Senior BJP leader also dubbed Kumar as meek, who is constantly under pressure from RJD and Congress for supporting demonetisation

Bihar BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Friday slammed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for being "mute" and said he may change his stand over the issue due to pressure from his allies, RJD and Congress, who are continuing their protest against demonetisation.

"Members of RJD and Congress are openly criticising demonetisation and also creating unruly scenes in Legislative Assembly as well Legislative Council over it while Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is leader in both Houses stands mute," he said.

"The way Congress and RJD are creating pressure on Kumar by staging violent protests in Assembly and Council and also outside, we will not be surprised if Kumar changes his stand on demonetisation in the next three to four days," Modi said.

The senior BJP leader also dubbed Kumar as "nirih" (meek), who is constantly under pressure from RJD and Congress for supporting demonetisation.

"Yesterday, finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui tore apart the merits of dropping Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 old bank notes, while replying to discussion on the Bihar Appropriation (No.4) Bill, 2016 in the Assembly even as the Chief Minister was sitting near him," he said.

"In the presence of senior RJD leaders Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and state party chief Ramchandra Purbe, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in an oblique jibe at Kumar, called him 'gaddar' (traitor) for supporting demonetisation," the Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council, said.

"In presence of Kumar, members of the Treasury bench raised slogans against scrapping of notes to fight corruption in the Assembly yesterday and he could not stop them," Sushil Modi said.

On November 25, Kumar had described the Centre's demonetisation move as a "courageous step" even as he admitted that "poor arrangements" in its implementation were causing hardship to the common man. He also dismissed reports of "confusion or fissures" in the grand alliance in Bihar over the demonetisation issue.

Three days back, Sushil Modi, who was the deputy chief minister during NDA rule in Bihar, had advised Kumar to walk out of ties with RJD and Congress and said, "If a proposal of reunion comes from JD(U), the party will consider it.