All the drama from inside Bihar's legislative assembly.
All Photographs: PTI Photo
The Nitish Kumar government on Friday won the crucial floor test in the Bihar assembly, securing 131 votes against the opposition’s 108.
Four members in the 243-member house could not vote, reducing the total strength of the house during the trust vote to 239.
With the effective strength of the House reduced to 239 during voting, Bihar’s new government needed 120 votes to win the confidence vote.
While Raj Ballabh Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal could not attend as he is in jail, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Anand Shankar Pandey was absent as he is undergoing medical treatment outside the state. Congress’s Sudarshan could not vote due to technical reasons as he was out of the House when the doors were shut for lobby division.
Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary did not participate in the voting.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi did not take part in the voting as both are members of the legislative council. However, they were present in the house.
In the voting under lobby division, members in favour of the confidence vote went inside one lobby where they signed a register; those against it headed for another lobby and signed a register.
At the end, the speaker announced the result of the trust vote, with 131 in favour of the National Democratic Alliance and 108 against it. The 131 votes in favour of Nitish Kumar comprised Janata Dal-United 70, BJP 52, Hindustani Awam Morcha 1, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party 2, Lok Janshakti Party 2 and Independent 4.
The 108 votes against it comprised RJD 79, Congress 26 and Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist 3.
The speaker’s effort to decide the fate of the confidence motion through voice vote failed twice following shouting from both the treasury and the opposition benches.
Senior RJD MLA Abdul Bari Siddiqui demanded secret voting but was rejected by the speaker.
At the end of the confidence vote, the speaker announced its adjournment for an indefinite period.
The Bihar assembly held a one-day special session on Friday for taking up the trust vote by the JD-U and NDA coalition government.
'Do you not feel ashamed': Tejashwi's fiery attacks at Nitish
Speaking on the confidence motion, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, whose refusal to resign after begin booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a corruption case led to the fall of the government, asked Kumar 'did he not feel ashamed after sitting next to BJP's Sushil Kumar Modi'.
Tejashwi, unleashing a tirade of fiery slavos on Kumar, said that the latter has stitched an alliance with a party who conspired the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
"Do you not feel ashamed sitting next to Sushil Kumar Modi? You take out Champaran yatra and then stitch an alliance with a party which assassinated Mahatma Gandhi," said Tejashwi.
Speaking on the matter of his resignation, Tejashwi said Kumar never asked him to step down from his post and it never occurred to him that the Bihar chief does not want him to be a part of his team.
"Nitish ji never asked me to resign. I also thought that he does not want me to resign. I would like to ask him why he quit the alliance and toppled the government," asked Tejashwi.
Tejashwi further highlighted that thanks to Kumar's hasty decision, people have suffered immensely, while accusing his ex-ally of viciously planning to check-mate the grand alliance.
"People of Bihar have suffered immensely. I am deeply saddened by Nitish ji's move. It was all planned," said Tejashwi in the assembly.
"We did not put any pressure on the chief minister ever," he added.
Slamming his former boss, Tejashwi said that Kumar knew that he had huge support and that it was not possible for the JD-U supremo to oust him from his post.
"We have 80 MLAs, Nitish ji knew he could not have removed me. If it is about one's image then I would like to say that the whole nation knows what the real basis of Nitish Kumar is," he added.
'Won't support one who will accumulate income through wrong means'
Responding to Tejashwi, Kumar said he would not support anyone who indulges in corruption and accumulates income through wrong means.
Taking a jibe at RJD's family politics, Nitish said the chair is not for rejoicing power but for serving the people.
"We were given a mandate to work. We tried to overcome all the problems by respecting the 'Mahagatbandhan'. You (Tejashwi) were not clarifying on the corruption charges. I had only asked your explanation," Nitish said.
Asserting that his decision to break the alliance with RJD was taken in favour of the state, Nitish said, "This government will work and serve the people of Bihar. We will not tolerate corruption and injustice."
He further said that his government will show a mirror to RJD.
"Secularism is not to hide your corruption and wrongdoings. We will not support the one who will accumulate income through wrong means," Nitish added.
Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi also trained his guns at the RJD fraction and said, "You call Nitish's decision a disrespect to people's mandate. If you (Tejashwi) had given resignation then we would have not taken this decision."
Asserting that mandate is not for corruption and benami properties, Sushil Modi said Tejashwi became an owner of 26 benami properties in 26 years.
Right before the floor test, the Patna high court refused to hear RJD's plea challenging formation of the new government in Bihar.
The court said that the hearing is not possible before July 31.
With inputs from ANI
