PATNA: The national executive meeting of the Janata Dal (United) on Saturday appointed Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Jha as the party’s working president. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would continue to be the party’s national president.
The meeting urged the Centre to consider according either special category status or a special package for Bihar, given the party’s role in the formation of the NDA government. Jha said Prime Minister Narendra Modi always paid attention to Bihar and expressed hope that the party’s demand for special status would be granted.
Jha, a prominent Brahmin face of the JD(U) in the Mithilanchal region, is considered close to Nitish. He had played a crucial role in the return of the party to the NDA ahead of the Lok Sabha election.
“The party president has entrusted a big responsibility on me by appointing me as party’s working president. We will try to work with ally BJP with more coordination,” he told media persons after his apppointment in New Delhi.
Lauding Nitish’s contribution in the development of Bihar, Jha said, “See, under what condition Nitish Kumar took out the state from them (RJD) about 19 years ago. Whatever Bihar has done in Nitish’s regime was because of its own resources.”
Before joining JD(U), Jha was with the BJP and worked under the guidance of Arun Jaitley. Sources said Jha switched to the JD(U) on Jaitley’s persuasion in 2012.