JD(U) leaders want Nitish Kumar to continue as Bihar chief minister

Patna: The JD(U) party on Sunday unanimously decided that Nitish Kumar, who quit as Bihar chief minister on Saturday following his party's poll performance, wanted him continue as chief minister.

A JD(U) leader, who attended the meeting at chief minister's official residence here, said that JD(U) legislature party expressed its full faith in Nitish Kumar and decided to re-elect him as their leader.

The JD(U) won only two of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats — as against 20 seats 2009, when it was in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The JD(U) parted ways with the BJP last year ending a 17-year-long alliance.

Nitish Kumar in his speech at the meeting said his continuing as chief minister would be a loss for the party and insisted on not withdrawing his resignation. Kumar said he would devote more time to the party remaining out of power. He also said that rival BJP was making mockery of his resignation by describing it as "nautanki" (drama). But, party legilators refused to buy his argument.

Facing the heightened sentiment of the MLAs, Kumar sought time till Monday to convey his decision to the party on his resignation, JD(U) Spokesman Sanjay Singh said.

Earlier, senior Minister Narendra Singh proposed the name of Kumar as party leader in the Assembly and all MLAs supported it, JD(U) MLA Ashok Kumar said.

Name of no other leader as new leader was proposed in the meeting, he said. JD(U) President Sharad Yadav, reported to be not in favour of continuation of Kumar after severe drubbing in Lok Sabha polls, was present in the meeting which witnessed sloganeering in favour of Kumar.

Earlier during the day, Yadav faced stormy protest from Kumar's supporters for his stand outside the chief minister's house.

Raising the slogan of 'One leader One mission', the legislators highlighted that since they got peoples' mandate in 2010 Assembly poll in the name of Kumar he should continue during the remaining 18 months of the present Assembly.

Of the total 117 party MLAs, four women legislators, who have been suspended for anti-party activities in the Parliamentary poll, were not invited at the nearly one-and-a- half hour long meeting at the residence of the chief minister.

The four suspended women MLAs were former minister Renu Kushwaha, whose husband Vijay Singh fought on BJP ticket against Sharad Yadav in Madhepura, Sujata Devi, Poonam Yadav, whose sister was in the fray from Khagaria on RJD ticket, and Anu Shukla who fought as an Independent at Vaishali Lok Sabha seat.

An Independent Binay Bihari, however, attended the meeting. Tempers ran high outside the venue of the meeting with supporters of Kumar manhandling senior minister Ramai Ram, who has been speaking against the chief minister particularly after the debacle in the general elections.

Ram was pushed by angry supporters of Kumar. He was later cordoned by security personnel who took him to the state guest house under their protection.

Earlier, party MLC Rajkishore Singh also faced protest when he was telling media persons after coming out of the meeting that Kumar was not agreeing to take back his resignation despite insistence of the MLAs.