Mahagathbandhan to Boycott Nitish Kumar's Oath-Taking Ceremony

Patna: The opposition Grand Alliance or Mahagathbandhan on Monday decided to boycott the oath-taking ceremony of Nitish Kumar, claiming that the mandate in the recently held Assembly elections was "against the NDA", which was changed by "fraud".

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which is spearheading the five-party Mahagathbandhan, and its allies-- Congress, CPI-ML, CPI and CPI(M)- have decided to remain away from the swearing-in function of Kumar.

Kumar is scheduled to take oath as chief minister for the seventh time in Raj Bhavan this evening.

"The RJD boycotts oath-taking ceremony of this puppet government. The mandate is for a change, and against the (ruling) NDA. The peoples verdict has been changed by the rulers order," the RJD alleged in a tweet.

"Ask the unemployed, the farmer, the contract worker and teacher as to what they are going through. People are angry with NDAs fraud. We are public representatives and we stand with people," it said.

The RJD, which emerged as the single largest party in Bihar with 75 seats, also said the state is getting a "helpless government by the two helpless parties".

Attacking Kumar, it said Bihar will have a "Chief Minister who has been proven weak, idle and corrupt. And a senior partner (BJP) who has no (chief ministerial) face and is forced to resort to dubious means (for earning majority)".

"Their helplessness are 1. Peoples support for the RJD 2. Tejashwi Yadav being elected as Bihar's most popular leader," it said in the tweet.

The party also took a dig at Kumar's reported remark at Sunday's NDA meeting that he did not want to become CM but the Bharatiya Janata Party insisted that he continue in the post.

"I did not want to become chief minister because my party came third and also I was tired. But, several BJP leaders grabbed my feet, started crying and pleading before me. I, being a soft-hearted, power-hungry mendicant, was moved. How could I annoy them," the RJD said in a tweet laced with sarcasm.

Congress, which has won 19 seats under the banner of grand alliance, said it will keep away from the oath-ceremony.

Bihar Congress president Madan Mohan Jha said they were with the RJD on the issue and will not be part of the swearing-in function.

Jha said so far he hasn't received any invitation for the oath-ceremony and even if it comes "neither me nor anybody else from the party will participate in the oath function at Raj Bhavan".

AICC media panel member and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra said this government was being formed "against the wish of the people so we don't want to be part of it."

CPI-ML, which has bagged 12 seats as a member of the opposition alliance, has also decided to remain away from the oath-ceremony.

"We have been fighting against them (the NDA) so how come we can be part of their crowning," CPI-ML state secretary Kunal told PTI. The CPI and CPI(M) will also be with their partners on the issue.

In the election results for 243 Assembly seats announced

on November 10, the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan lost to the four-party NDA.

The BJP is the largest party within the ruling coalition with 74 seats, followed by Janata Dal-United (43) and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) four each.

The BJP had announced before the polls that Kumar will remain chief minister irrespective of which NDA constituent wins the maximum number of seats.

The grand alliance bagged 110 seats out of which RJD accounted for 75 while Congress tally was 19, CPI-ML (12) and CPI and CPI(M) two each.