BJP should decide the fate of Mukesh Sahani, says JD-U

Patna, March 25 (IANS) After the BJP's "surgical strike" on VIP, luring away all its three MLAs, Bihar's ruling JD-U on Thursday said it was up to the BJP to decide the fate of its party chief and Minister Mukesh Sahani.

The VIP President is the Animal Husbandry Minister in the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar and BJP leaders are demanding he be sacked after the three VIP MLAs joined the saffron party on Wednesday.

But JD-U leader and Building Construction Minister Ashok Chaudhary said: "During 2020 Assembly election, the seat distribution was done between the JD-U and the BJP. The JD-U had adjusted Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha and BJP accommodated Mukesh Sahani-led VIP. Mukesh Sahani became cabinet minister under BJP quota. Hence, the BJP can take the initiative to remove him from the post of cabinet minister."

"Sahani is a young leader of the state and he wants to do good things for his community. In politics, patience is extremely important. Unfortunately, he loses patience and becomes too ambitious to become a big leader in a short time. The consequence of an impatient attitude is in front of everyone now.

"In politics, 2 plus 2 can not be 4 all the time. It required patience. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi said that three 'Ps' required for a successful politician in the country and that are presence, patience, and political knowledge," the JD-U leader added.

BJP MLA Hari Bhushan Thakur said that Sahani should resign from the cabinet on moral grounds as he has lost his party's presence in the Assembly.

On the other hand, former Chief Minister Manjhi said: "Whatever is happening between the BJP and Mukesh Sahani is an internal matter between them and I don't want to comment on it but I must say that everything is possible in politics."

Meanwhile, Sahani said that he would not quit on his own.

"I would not resign from the post. The Chief Minister would decide my fate. It is his special privilege," he said.