New Delhi: The Nitish Kumar-led newly-formed ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government in Bihar on Wednesday (August 24, 2022) comfortably won the motion of confidence amid a walkout staged by BJP MLAs. Altogether 160 MLAs voted in favour of the confidence motion while no vote was cast against the same. BJP MLAs, who staged a walkout while Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was delivering his speech, stormed the House demanding that the deputy speaker not waste time on a redundant headcount but take up businesses scheduled for the day and announced boycott of the proceedings.
During his speech that lasted for about half an hour, Nitish Kumar made indirect references to rebellion by LJP’s Chirag Paswan, allegedly at BJP’s behest, and attempts to cause a split in JD(U) through his former protege RCP Singh.
The JD(U) chief also rejected the BJP’s charge that his latest volte-face was aimed at becoming the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition camp and asserted that he had “no personal ambitions”.
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He also recounted his old association with the BJP and underscored the contrast between the current dispensation and the era of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, and Murli Manohar Joshi.
Without mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi by name, he said that the current dispensation “does little except publicity (‘prachar prasar’)”.
As BJP MLAs protested, he added, “Speak against me. May be this will earn you some rewards from your political bosses.”
(With agency inputs)