Ask Nitish Kumar about corruption in Bihar: Anurag Thakur on Oppn meet

"They should also say who is the leader of their alliance," he added

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday took a jibe at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the Opposition meeting scheduled for June 23 in Patna, saying the opposition should ask the CM about the corruption going on in the state.

"Those opposition parties that are going to Bihar must ask Nitish Kumar about the corruption that is going on there. This should not be an alliance of corrupted parties. They should also say who is the leader of their alliance," said Union Minister Anurag Thakur.

Notably, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has called a meeting of top opposition leaders to stitch a grand alliance against the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The meeting will be held in Patna on June 23.

The meeting, which is aimed at laying the groundwork for the coming together of like-minded Opposition parties against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government at the Centre, was originally scheduled to be held on June 12.

However, giving a blow to the grand alliance government in Bihar, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) President Santosh Suman on Monday said that their party will be submitting a letter of withdrawal of support to the Bihar government and to the state Governor.

Santosh Suman said that they have sought time from Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar today evening in this regard.

While addressing the press conference, Santosh Suman said," We are in the midst of party expansion. We will go to Delhi. Our options are open. If NDA approaches us we will talk to them. We will also look for third-front possibilities. We will consult with various NGOs. After 3-4 days we will inform the people of our final decision. We will submit our letter of withdrawal of support to the Bihar government to the Governor. We have sought time from the Governor today evening."

Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM has four MLAs in the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly. JD(U) has 45 MLAs while the RJD has 79. The BJP has 77 legislators in the House.

On Aug 9, 2022, Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) extended unconditional support to Nitish Kumar and the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan minutes after Nitish Kumar tendered his resignation as the state chief minister.