 "Friends turn foes: Lalu, Rabri, Tejashwi Yadav tear into Nitish Kumar")
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday tore into Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the recent political drama that unfolded in the state leading to Nitish taking the oath sixth time in 12 years.
Lalu said Nitish's move of joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was indeed surprising as he had been the most vocal in calling for a 'Sangh-mukt Bharat,' referring to an India free of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
"Nitish Kumar was the one who was the most vocal in calling for a 'Sangh-mukt Bharat'. He had left the BJP and came," Lalu told ANI.
Lalu also gave a pointed reminder that his party has the most number of seats in the legislature and that he has played an important role in framing the state politics.
Lalu's wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi downplayed the whole hype surrounding the alleged properties owned by the Yadav family and said that many skeletons from others' closets would surely fall off.
"Who does not have property? Everybody has. Will Nitish Kumar and other politicians agree for probe into their properties? Why are they after our family?" Rabri told ANI.
More From This Section
Rabri further said that their family isn't "scared of anybody and is ready to go any place we are called to."
"We trusted Nitish, because he left the BJP and came. We never pressurised him to do anything. He himself went back to where he had come from," she further said.
"Nitish had been targetting my sons for very long. They were doing good in politics and moving ahead. They were being appreciated. So he conspired with the BJP and did this," she added.
Former deputy chief minister and Lalu's son Tejashwi Yadav reiterated what he had been saying for long and asserted that the people of Bihar are feeling cheated.
"The mandate was against the BJP. They have cheated the people by doing this," he said.
Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar won the floor test in the Bihar Legislative Assembly with 131 votes in favour and 108 against.
Nitish came back to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fold with taking the oath for the sixth time.
The Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) and the BJP MLAs met Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi to stake claim to form the government in the state, after Nitish ended the 'mahagathbandhan' in the state and resigned from his post, instead of Tejashwi Yadav, as was being speculated and expected.
Nitish resigned citing political differences with a former ally, Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD, over corruption charges against Tejashwi, following which the state saw a rigmarole of political events including dharnas and probationary orders.
The development came hours after Lalu took a jibe at Nitish, saying he was aware of his longtime friend's party's growing bonhomie with the BJP.