JD (U), BJP divide seen at Bihar function

The divide between the two allies of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) exhibited itself on Wednesday through the absence of BJP representatives at a major state government programme.

Not a single BJP minister or leader was present at the SK Memorial hall in Patna for a function on a new technology of paddy cultivation (SRI Vidhi), being promoted by the Nitish Kumar regime.

The BJP acknowledged this through a press release saying not inviting any BJP minister to attend the function was "a serious lapse" on the part of the agriculture department, led by JD (U) minister Narendra Singh.

The party sought chief minister Nitish Kumar's intervention into matter for "keeping the alliance intact" in Bihar.

"This is against the coalition dharma and the JD (U) must take steps to mend it, or else the situation may deteriorate to a point of no return," said president of the BJP Kisan Morcha Ratnesh Singh.

The organisers not only ignored the BJP ministers, but also deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who is the in-charge minister of Patna district, he said.

"This has been done deliberately and with adequate preplanning," claimed Singh.

Morcha leaders said by all reckoning, ministers of cooperative and animal husbandry departments, Ramadhar Singh and Giriraj Singh, respectively, should be invited, as their departments are closely involved in the execution of the agriculture road map of Bihar.

"However, both the ministers are totally clueless about the programme," they said.