Nitish ‘quits,’ over Samata derailment

Sources said Nitish—who has a substantial support base in Bihar—has steadily been shunting out Fernandes-loyalists from key party positions. They include Jha, who lost his job of state party chief. So have party leaders in the Bihar Assembly as well as the legislative council.

To be fair to Fernandes, he has so far avoided a show-down by giving in to Kumar’s demands even at the risk of attracting criticism from his supporters.

By announcing his resignation, Kumar got all his party critics to request him to withdraw it. Result: at the end of the day, he will have his way in the party even if Fernandes continues to be president.

Speaking at the national council meeting, Nitish asked Fernandes, who was earlier re-elected party chief, to order a ‘‘judicial inquiry’’ into the corruption charges levelled against him by ‘‘certain party members.’’

‘‘You have my resignation,’’ he said to cheers from his supporters. ‘‘I will not return to the government till I come out clean. I always carry my resignation with me as I do not want to remain in politics by compromising self-respect. I

have earned the Prime Minister’s confidence and your friendship. I will keep supporting and co-operating with you.’’

In his address, Fernandes did not refer to Nitish’s resignation but came back to the stage to declare: ‘‘I don’t accept Nitishji’s resignation. I reject it.’’ Unaffected, Nitish waved his hands in disagreement, implying he was determined to quit.

‘‘Anybody says anything and walks out,’’ Nitish said, in an apparent reference to Prabhunath Singh’s walk-out. He said: ‘‘I feel hurt over such behaviour.

There is a system for taking back people expelled from the party. If anyone genuinely admits his mistake and wants to return, the doors of the party are open to him.’’

Nitish said that the problem with Fernandes was that he did not ensure strict discipline in the organisation which had led to all the conflicting noises in the party.

Prabhunath Singh, who has been swininging between the Nitish and Fernandes camps with great frequency, claimed he did not understand ‘‘our relationship with the Bharatiya Janata Party.’’

He said at one time, they levelled charges against Congress president Sonia Gandhi but instead of ordering a CBI inquiry were ‘‘co-operating with her.’’ Referring to the Prime Minister’s aar paar ki ladayi speech, he said that the troops were recalled without firing a shot.

He wound up his speech saying he was walking out and when he left, he forgot his cell phone and glasses. A ring on the cell reminded the delegates of its missing owner.