Author: PTI
Publication: The Times of India
Date: July 14, 2017
URL:   http://m.timesofindia.com/india/bihar-alliance-rift-dont-boast-of-80-mlas-come-clean-on-graft-charges-jdu-tells-rjd/amp_articleshow/59595941.cms

Amid growing rift within the members of the coalition government in Bihar , the JD(U) on Friday mounted pressure on the RJD, asking it to come clean on allegations against party minister Tejashwi Yadav with facts and not to "display arrogance" of having 80 MLAs.

Tejashwi, the son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, is the deputy chief minister of Bihar and has been named by the CBI as an accused in its probe into land-for-hotels scam.

"The RJD, which is showing arrogance of 80 MLAs, should not forget that it was reduced to 22 MLAs in 2010 state poll and in the elections in 2015 their number swelled due to the credible face of Nitish Kumar as head of the coalition ," state JD(U) chief spokesman Sanjay Singh said.

In the 243-seat Bihar Assembly, the RJD has 80 seats, the JD(U) 71 and the Congress 27. The BJP has 53 MLAs.
"Be within limits and come clean on accusations (against Tejashwi) at the earliest," Singh said, strongly reacting to the 80-MLA remark of Ram Chandra Purve, the Bihar unit chief of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and others.

JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar, in an apparent referrence to Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav, said those against whom accusations have been levelled should explain the source of their property "to silence the opposition".

His colleague Sunil Singh echoed similar views and made it clear that the party would in no case compromise with the "clean image" of Nitish Kumar, saying the JD(U) president and Bihar chief minister is known for his "politics of principles and zero tolerance to corruption".

Meanwhile, a section of media reported that Tejashwi Yadav has made up his mind to tender resignation and the decision to this effect could be announced after the return of RJD president Lalu Prasad on Saturday from Ranchi where he has gone for appearance in a fodder scam related case.

However, the deputy chief minister in a tweet ridiculed these reports.

"Some media in the name of 'utpati (destructive) sources' is running one-point programme of BJP...I feel like laughing at it loudly," he said.