JD(U) slams Shivanand Tiwari for dissent

PATNA: The JD(U) today slammed its Rajya Sabha MP Shivanand Tiwari for criticising the party leadership over denial of renomination and said that it would have been appropriate if he had aired his views in the party forum.

Describing as "unnecessary" the stinging letter written by Tiwari to him, state JD(U) president Bashistha Narayan Singh said "certain matters and decision-making process in the party should not be discussed in public."

He said that Tiwari should not forget that it was Bihar Chief Nitish Kumar who had sent him to Rajya Sabha in the past ignoring his controversial remarks.

Stating that the party at this stage was not willing to take disciplinary actions against the outgoing MP, he said, "but, there is a limit to criticism and if Tiwari's tirade gets out of control then necessary action may follow."

On JD(U)'s offer to three outgoing Rajya Sabha MPs to contest Lok Sabha polls, Singh said that two of them (N K Singh and Shivanand Tiwari) had declined the offer, while Sabir Ali would contest the Lok Sabha elections.

On the Congress threatening to withdraw support of its four MLAs to Nitish government, he said "the Congress threat to withdraw support to our government is not surprising as it has decided to forge alliance with the parties inimical to us, but it will have no bearing on the survival of the government."

On the chief minister sharing the dais with Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the inauguration of the AMU study centre in Kishanganj, he said that nothing political should be read into it as the occasion was a formal one.