PATNA: Amid speculation over the next Vice-President, many BJP leaders from Bihar on Tuesday pitched for Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar for the post , which fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned.
BJP leader and Bihar cooperative minister Prem Kumar said the party would decide on Dhankhar’s successor but he would be happy if someone from Bihar was chosen for the post. PHED minister and BJP leader Neeraj Kumar Bablu said, “It would be nice if Nitish became next Vice President. What’s the problem in this?”
BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur Bachaul said, “It is not in our hands to make Nitish Kumar Vice President. If this happens, it will be very good. It will be auspicious for Bihar.”
JD (U) leader and minister Shravan Kumar, however, said, “There is no question of Nitish Kumar leaving Bihar. He will be here, lead the NDA to victory in assembly polls and serve the people of the state, enjoying another term in office.”
RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav claimed, “He (Dhankhar) conducted proceedings on the first day of the session, then resigned at night. If it was health-related, he could’ve done it earlier. Was the resignation given or taken? What happened with Dhankhar, it could happen with Nitish Kumar later as Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already said the CM will be decided after Bihar polls.”
RJD chief whip Akhtarul Islam Shahin claimed that Dhankhar’s exit was aimed at creating a vacancy that could be offered to Nitish in a bid to remove him from Bihar politics. “For long, BJP has been seeking to get rid of Nitish and install its own CM. They are growing desperate ahead of the elections as an NDA defeat is imminent,” he claimed.
Earlier, former union minister and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey had even suggested that Nitish be made Deputy PM. So, it is not far-fetched to see Dhankhar’s resignation as part of a BJP strategy to push Nitish into a politically irrelevant position, he added.
Meanwhile, sources claimed that BJP top leadership could pick Bihar governor Arif Mohammad Khan for the post of Vice President as he enjoyed support of senior leaders across party lines.
Dhankhar is okay: Didi trashes health concerns
As rumours swirl about what led Jagdeep Dhankhar to suddenly step down as the Vice-President on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament, Trinamool firebrand and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday dismissed health concerns as his reason to demit office mid-term. “I think his health is absolutely okay. He is a healthy man,” an incredulous Didi remarked, adding to the buzz around his departure.