Back‘Free to join any party’: Nitish tells party men questioning JDU's CAA stance
The problem within JDU has persisted for the past few months after the party supported the passage of CAA“If anyone has any issues then the person can discuss it within party or at party meetings,” Nitish Kumar said
PremiumNEW DELHI : Couple of days after senior leader of Janata Dal (United) or JDU Pavan Varma alleged that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had apprehensions about the way Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was leading the country, the internal tussle came out in the open on Thursday when Kumar categorically asked Varma to join a party of his choice.
The problem within JDU has persisted for the past few months after JDU supported National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the passage of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). While Kumar has maintained that the National Register of Citizen (NRC) would not be implemented in Bihar, some JDU leaders, including Varma, have repeatedly sought greater clarity over CAA.
Two days after Varma said in a letter that despite alliance with BJP in 2017, Kumar had talked about his apprehension on the way BJP was leading the country, the Bihar chief minister on Thursday said that issues should be discussed within the party.
Watch video: ‘Free to join any party’: Nitish Kumar slams party leader Pavan Varma
“If anyone has any issues then the person can discuss it within party or at party meetings, but such kind of public statements are surprising. He can go and join any party he likes, my best wishes," Nitish Kumar told reporters on Thursday.
In a letter to Kumar on Tuesday, Varma alleged that the Bihar CM had confessed to him during a private conversation on how the current leadership in the BJP party has humiliated Kumar. Varma had further written that Kumar believed that BJP was leading India into a dangerous space.
“I welcome the statement of Nitish Kumar that there is space for discussion within party, as that is what I asked for. It was never my intention to hurt him. I want party to have ideological clarity. I am awaiting reply to my letter, will decide future course of action after that," said Varma on Thursday.
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