BJP rocked by dissidence, accuses JD(U) of poaching MLAs

Rattled by revolt after the ruling JD(U) snapped ties with it last month, Bihar BJP on Sunday suspended its MLA Amarnath Gami, who had rebelled against senior leader Sushil Kumar Modi, for six years and accused the Nitish Kumar government of "luring" its legislators.  The JD(U), however, claimed there was "panic" in BJP and that a dozen of its MLAs were ready to "cross over" as they were unhappy with the party leadership.

Gami was suspended six years for alleging that Sushil Kumar Modi had 'hijacked' the party, accused him of being power hungry, monopolising party affairs and promoting sycophants while neglecting genuine workers like him.  Talking to PTI, Gami, MLA from Hayaghat in Darbhanga district, claimed that nearly a dozen other BJP MLAs harboured similar views about Modi and they would come into the open gradually.

Gami described his suspension without any show-cause notice being served as 'undemocratic' and an example of Modi's monopoly over the party. State BJP President Mangal Pandey dismissed Gami's allegations and justified his suspension.

Hitting out at JD(U), Pandey said, "Our MLAs are being lured away. They are being offered Ministership and their relatives are being promised seats in the legislative council".  He accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of trying to shore up his numbers by wooing BJP legislators. "The day the Chief Minister expands his Council of Ministers, there will be a split in JD(U). So, he is trying to increase his numbers in the assembly".

After dumping BJP last month in the wake of Narendra Modi being appointed as chief of the party's election campaign committee, the Nitish Kumar government had comfortably won a vote of confidence in the 243-member Bihar Assembly with Congress backing it.  A total of 126 votes, including four of Congress and one of CPI, were cast in favour of the confidence motion while 24, including 22 of Lalu Prasad-led RJD, voted against the motion as BJP members staged a walkout before the vote.

State BJP Vice president Sanjay Mayukh in a statement said Pandey has suspended Gami for anti-party activities.