Former Bihar Assembly speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary today announced his resignation from the primary membership of the party, citing "demoralisation of cadre" and patronage to "dhankuber" (those with deep pockets) as the major reasons.
The JD(U), however, maintained that the "coming or going of anybody did not affect the party".
Chaudhary, 65, has been critical of the party ever since Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar returned to the BJP-led NDA fold. The veteran leader alleged that his decision to quit the party followed "a spurt in atrocities against Dalits and crimes against women".
"I have nurtured the JD(U) over the last 20 years. But I have been aghast at the party's deviation from its core principles and commitment to the welfare of the downtrodden. There has been a spurt in atrocities against Dalits and women, the latest incident being the molestation of a girl in Jehanabad," Chaudhary told reporters here.
"The party cadre, especially the dedicated workers, is getting demoralised while the dhankuber (those with deep pockets) are being promoted. In view of these things I have decided to give up my primary membership of the party," he explained.
Chaudhary, however, did not speak about his future course of action.
A former loyalist of Kumar, Chaudhary was instrumental in averting a split in the party in 2015 when the then chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi refused to make way for Kumar, who had stepped down for a few months owning moral responsibility for the
Rubbishing Chaudhary's allegations, JD(U) deputy leader in the state Assembly, Shyam Rajak, said "there has been no upeksha (indifference) towards Dalits and women. The government has been working in accordance with the apkesha (expectations) of these segments."
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