Bihar chief minister, Nitish Kumar, said that secularism cannot be used to justify corruption in the state, ahead of the floor test in Bihar assembly on Friday.
“Secularism can’t mask corruption,” said Kumar, adding, “I will not support people who make money through unfair means. These are arrogant people. Political parties get a mandate in elections to serve the people…the people were fed-up”, he stated.
The CM added that the Bihar government will continue to work for the people of the state and would not tolerate corruption and injustice in the state.
Nitish won the floor test in the Bihar state assembly with 131 of the 243 legislators voting for him. A total of 108 votes went against CM Nitish Kumar but the newly formed JDU-BJP alliance managed to pass the trust vote test in favour of Kumar in the Bihar Assembly. In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, JD(U) has 71 legislators, the BJP has 53 and the BJP allies have five seats – LJP (two seats) RLSP (two seats) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) has one.
Former alliance partners, the RJD and the Congress, accused Nitish of being unethical and claimed that their alliance had received a massive mandate in the assembly elections on the anti-BJP floorboard and Nitish stabbed them in the back.
“Mandate mahagathbandhan ko tha, aaj us mandate ko BJP aur Nitish Kumar ne apmaanit karne ka kaam kiya hai,” said Tejashwi Yadav, former deputy CM of Bihar, after Nitish Kumar won the trust vote.
Moreover, Yadav accused Nitish Kumar of cheating the people of Bihar. “I have asked a number of questions but Kumar and BJP had no answers,” said Tejashwi Yadav after Bihar Assembly trust vote, adding, “Bihar voters are feeling betrayed, we have been deceived. The people will teach him a lesson.”
Moreover, Tejashwi also claimed that Nitish Kumar had confined JD(U) and BJP MLAs at his residence to make sure they don’t connect with RJD and hence, his votes get divided. “Many told me they will vote for RJD if secret ballot is provided, but it was rejected,” he concluded.
