Rajiv Ranjan Singh charges Sushil Kumar Modi with vitiating political atmosphere in Bihar

PATNA: JD(U) leader and Bihar minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh today charged senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi with vitiating political atmosphere in Bihar by seeking to create fissures in the ruling party.

"I outrightly condemn Modi for vitiating political atmosphere in Bihar by seeking to create fissures in the JD(U) ahead of the bypoll on two Rajya Sabha seats," he told reporters.

Singh, who was made a minister in the Jitan Ram Manjhi government and rewarded with plum portfolio of road construction department, alleged that Modi has been giving fillip to rebel group in the JD(U) ever since the election process on three Rajya Sabha seats got underway early this month.

"The senior BJP leader has resorted to all tactics to weaken the JD(U) by encouraging defection in it and vitiate political atmosphere in Bihar so that he could grab power in Bihar at the earliest," he said.

The senior JD(U) leader denied revolt by a section of the JD(U) lawmakers against the leadership, but admitted that there were differences within it like one happening in a large family.

Meanwhile, a rebel-turned-loyalist JD(U) MLA Gajanand Shahi denied that he had rebelled against the leadership at any point of time and said that he will vote for the official candidate in the Rajya Sabha bypoll.

Shahi, who was among the ten proposers for the nomination of the Independent candidate Sabir Ali on one of the two poll-bound Rajya Sabha seats, said that though his signature was genuine it was not meant for use for Ali's candidature.