BJP questions Nitish Kumar's moral right to stay in power

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has relinquished his moral authority to continue in office after steering the state back into the days of "Lalu Raj", BJP today said.

"An anarchy-like situation has been created within a month of (JD(U)'s split with BJP... it appears that 'Lalu Raj' has returned in Bihar," BJP national president Rajnath Singh said at a function here.

Singh's reference was to the pejorative term 'jungle raj', which RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav's political rivals had used to run down his party's 15-year rule in Bihar between 1990 and 2005.

"A government functions on moral power and not on brute police strength," he said and slammed the alleged police firing in Bagaha last month that claimed the lives of six Tharu tribals while injuring scores others.

The CM has no moral right to stay in power after the case of police firing on peaceful tribal people, the BJP president said.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, who was present on the occasion, too, expressed disappointment at JD(U)'s snapping ties with NDA and asked BJP workers to strive hard to ensure the party won power on its own in the next Assembly polls in Bihar.