Bihar: Nitish wins floor test with 131 votes, Tejashwi calls him shameless

Had earlier moved a confidence motion in the Bihar Assembly to prove the majority of his new govt

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday won the trust vote in the Bihar Assembly, with 131 of the 243 legislators voting for him. Amid protests by Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD, Kumar said that that the new alliance of JD(U) and BJP has been built on political opportunism. 

Speaker Vijay Kumar Chowdhury said the Opposition got 108 votes.
 

Kumar had earlier moved a confidence motion in the Bihar Assembly to prove the majority of his new government. 

The NDA alliance had submitted a list of 132 MLAs to the governor. These include 71 of JD(U), BJP 53, RLSP two, LJP two, HAM one and three independents.

In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the RJD has 80 MLAs, the Congress 27 and the CPI-ML has three.

Yesterday, Nitish and BJP leader Sushil Modi were sworn-in as Bihar Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister respectively, and former was asked to prove his majority on the floor by Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, the son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, spoke first on the confidence motion and launched a scathing attack against Kumar for dumping the Grand Alliance government.

RJD MLAs protested in the portico of Assembly, signalling their aggressive mood ahead of the trust vote.

Live telecast of House proceedings is prohibited and reporters not allowed to use their mobile phones inside.

Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi had asked the chief minister yesterday to seek a confidence vote within two days of his swearing in.

Kumar, 66, was sworn in yesterday, returning to the National Democratic Alliance after four years.

Tejashwi flays Nitish in Bihar Assembly

Venting out his anger against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his former deputy Tejashwi Yadav on Friday tore into his former boss and asked him that did he not feel ashamed after sitting next to Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Sushil Kumar Modi.

Tejashwi unleashing a tirade of fiery slavos on Kumar, said that the latter has stitched an alliance with a party who conspired the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

"Did you not feel ashamed sitting next to Sushil Kumar Modi? You take out Champaran yatra and then stitch an alliance with a party which assassinated Mahatma Gandhi," said Tejashwi.

Further speaking on the matter of his resignation, Tejashwi said Kumar never asked him to step down from his post and it never occured to him that the Bihar chief does not want him to be a part of his team.

"Nitish ji never asked me to resign. I also thought that he does not want me to resign. I would like to ask him why he quit the alliance and toppled the government," said Tejashwi.

Tejashwi further highlighted that thanks to Kumar's hasty decision people have suffered immensely, while accusing his ex-ally of viciously planning to check-mate the grand alliance.

"People of Bihar have suffered immensely. I am deeply saddened by the Nitish ji resigned. It was all pre planned," said Tejashwi in assembly.

"We did not put any pressure on the Chief Minister ever," he added.

Slamming his former boss, Tejashwi said that Kumar knew that he had huge support and that it was not possible for the JD (U) supremo to oust him from his post.

"We have 80 MLAs, Nitish ji knew he could not have removed me: Tejashwi Yadav in the assembly. If it is about ones image then I would like to say that the whole nation knows what the real basis of Nitish Kumar is," he added.

Meanwhile, the Patna High Court also earlier in the day refused to hear the RJD's plea challenging formation of the new BJP-JD (U) government in Bihar.

The Court said that the hearing is not possible before July 31.