BJP likely to withdraw support to JD(U) tomorrow - Hindustan Times

As Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar sat down with JD(U) legislators on Saturday to decide on the ties with the BJP, the saffron party seems to have made up its mind. The party is likely to inform governor DY Patil on Sunday that it was withdrawing support to the ally of 17 years. That doesn't threaten Nitish government though, as five of the six independent legislators have pledged support to the JD-U, which has 118 legislators and needs four more to retain power in the house of 243. The signs that the partnership was over came on Friday evening, when chief minister Nitish Kumar accused BJP of duplicity. Bihar BJP leaders refuse to meet Nitish Kumar Nitish must resign if NDA breaks up: BJP Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad made a last ditch attempt to save the alliance, but the split appeared inevitable when deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi and construction minister and NDA convenor Nand Kishore Yadav snubbed a Nitish invite for a discussion on the crisis. "It makes no sense," said Yadav, adding, "What he apparently wanted to discuss was about a possible BJP climbdown on Narendra Modi. We can't make any commitment on that. The JD(U) is in talks with central parliamentary committee members who alone can take a call on such an issue." National BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain's statement that "the parleys are over and now it was just a wait till the JD-U dissolves the alliance" was put into practice by Sushil Kumar who even stopped using his official car from this morning. Nitish made it clear on Friday evening the things had become difficult and irreconcilable and the final decision will be announced on Sunday after a meeting with legislators and party's core committee members. Party president Sharad Yadav arrived late evening and was immediately closeted with Kumar and his closest aides, even as it was obvious, that JD-U legislators were almost split evenly over the issue. The Sharad camp is known to be in favour of continuing the alliance and Yadav played it safe, saying, "The party had not yet taken the final call." He, however, hinted that the alliance is not intact. "There are internal problems," he said. While JD(U) party president Sharad Yadav said no conditions were put forward to the BJP for continuing with the alliance, it was clear JD(U) refuses to see Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi's elevation as BJP election campaign chief other anything else than his certain prime ministerial candidature. And since the BJP gave no assurance that PM candidature will be negotiated with the allies, the JD(U) hinted at severing the ties. Party spokesman Devesh Chandra Thakur was emphatic that the alliance was over. But his colleague Shivanand Tiwary was more critical and candid. "We cannot imagine a person who is seen as a divisive personality becoming PM. His arrogance cannot be put up with." via Top Stories - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHFFh-QyatphC3qKQgp49i3jZ3PHA&url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Patna/BJP-likely-to-withdraw-support-to-JD-U-tomorrow/Article1-1076830.aspx

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