PATNA: The ruling JD(U) in Bihar on Friday expressed strong displeasure over slogans being raised by former national president RCP Singh to project him as the future chief minister.
JD(U) national general secretary and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's close aide Sanjay Kumar Jha warned that those raising such slogans would be deemed as outsiders.
"Nitish Kumar is the undisputed leader of the party. Those who raise such slogans will not be considered as members of the party," Jha told reporters when asked about videos of such sloganeering which have gone viral on social media.
Singh, a former confidant of the CM, recently stepped down as Union minister after the party denied him another term in the Rajya Sabha.
The former IAS officer's fall from grace is blamed on his acceptance of a cabinet berth without the consent of the chief minister who has been opposed to BJP's offer of "token representation" to allies.
Upon resignation, Singh has been staying at his native village in the Nalanda district and touring nearby areas in an apparent bid to find the ground under his feet.
Although Singh has himself not faced any action, many leaders considered close to Singh, including Ajay Alok, one of the best-known spokespersons, have been expelled from the JD(U).
Every move of the bureaucrat-turned-politician is being closely watched in political circles.
Recently, he had remarked that he was born in Nalanda while the CM had his roots in the district but was born and raised in Bakhtiyarpur, a town near Patna.
This had led to speculation in a section of the media as to whether Singh was innocuously stating a fact or sounding mutinous.