'I quit for Biharis but I care for Maharashtrians'

Veteran Janata Dal-United leader George Fernandes, who resigned from the Lok Sabha to protest against the attacks on Biharis in Mumbai, on Tuesday demanded that members representing various parties of Bihar in both Houses of Parliament must resign to demonstrate unity.

The former JD-U president and National Democratic Alliance convenor, who had worked as trade union leader in Mumbai and represented both Maharashtra and Bihar in the Lok Sabha, however, clarified that resigning for the cause of Biharis did not mean that he did not care for the people of Maharashtra.

'Today, I have subjected myself to the discipline of my party, the Janata Dal-United, which chose to ask its Lok Sabha members to resign in protest against the attacks on Biharis by Raj Thackeray's people. This does not mean that I do not care for the people of Maharashtra. However, it would be even better if MPs of all parties from Bihar also resign from their seats to demonstrate unity of purpose,' he said in a statement in New Delhi.

Significantly, Fernandes was absent from the JD-U delegation, which met Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Tuesday morning, insisting that their resignation be accepted.

His demand for resignation of all MPs from Bihar, even those from the Rajya Sabha, was also at variance from the JD-U's stand that only members of the Lok Sabha will resign.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan have, however, been demanding that all MPs from both Houses and MLAs, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, must resign to protest against the attacks on Biharis by MNS workers.