A day after Bihar Chief Minister and senior JD-U leader Nitish Kumar dared coalition partner BJP to take away JD-U leaders,Deputy Chief Minister and topmost state BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday said the party would adhere to coalition dharma and would never cross Lakshman Rekha (by poaching on JD-U leaders). Modi was responding to the Nitish asking state BJP president C P Thakur on Monday to feel free to take away JD-U leaders in BJP fold. Earlier,Thakur,peeved at former BJP MLC Sanjay Kumar Jha joining JD-U last week,had said several JD-U leaders had been in touch with BJP and can cross fence anytime. The deputy CM,speaking on the tussle between the two allies for the first time,said: We are bound by coalition dharma. There is no questioning of BJP trying to wean away anyone from JD-U. We will never cross the line. Playing down Thakurs remarks,Modi said the alliance partners were bound by certain principles and would not breach it under any circumstances. He added everything was right with the coalition government. He said either party should keep away from weaning away each others members. Modi told The Indian Express: I will not do or speak anything that can sour relationship with JD-U. It is precisely for this reason I do not want to go to Press on such matters. We are keen on carrying on with development projects than issuing any controversial statements. Meanwhile,JD-U national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Shivanand Tiwari,who was otherwise asked not to issue any controversial remarks,said senior BJP leader LK Advanis defence of Narendra Modi on Gujarat riots was not justified. Even if Advaniji tries to defend Narendra Modi standing in pure waters of Ganga,we are not going to believe him, said Tiwari further fuelling war of words with coalition partner BJP. A fortnight ago,JD-U had called its spokespersons to refrain from making any remarks against BJP after the coalition partners bought peace after Nitish Kumars secular NDA PM remarks.
