On buzz around joining BJP, RCP Singh responds

India

oi-Deepika S

Patna, Aug 18:
Former
JD(U)
national
president
RCP
Singh,
who
was
in
the
eye
of
a
political
storm
in
Bihar,
on
Thursday
said
he
was
keeping
“all
options
open”,
including
a
formal
entry
into
the
BJP.

The
former
Union
minister
also
lashed
out
at
Chief
Minister
Nitish
Kumar
for
the
latest
political
u-turn
that
saw
the
de
facto
JD(U)
leader
dumping
the
BJP
and
realigning
with
the
“Mahagathbandhan”
of
the
RJD,
Congress
and
the
Left.

“I
have
all
options
open”,
said
Singh
and
when
pointedly
asked
whether
he
would
like
to
join
the
BJP,
he
quipped
“why
not?”
The
bureaucrat
turned
politician,
who
had
to
give
up
his
ministerial
berth
upon
denial
of
another
Rajya
Sabha
term
by
the
JD(U),
maintained
that
Kumar,
the
de
facto
leader
of
the
party,
“will
not
become
the
prime
minister
even
if
he
were
to
be
reborn
seven
times”.

“These
are
not
times
of
political
instability
in
the
country
when
Chandra
Shekhar,
H
D
Deve
Gowda,
I
K
Gujaral
etc.
could
enjoy
brief
stints
as
PM,”
said
Singh.
The
JD(U)
accused
Singh
of
having
become
a
mole
of
the
saffron
camp.

Akhilesh
Yadav
calls
Bihar
development
positive
sign,
hopes
strong
alternative
emerges
to
BJP
in
2024

He
denied
allegations
of
having
acted
against
the
JD(U)’s
interests
at
BJP’s
behest
in
the
last
assembly
polls
of
2020,
and
a
few
months
later,
having
become
a
Union
minister
without
consent
of
the
Bihar
CM.

“Why
was
the
alliance
not
called
off
immediately
after
assembly
polls
if
there
was
sabotage
(bhitarghaat)?
Why
did
senior
party
leaders
congratulate
me
if
my
becoming
a
minister
was
an
act
of
defiance?”,
asked
Singh.

He
alleged
that
Kumar
“had
made
up
his
mind
to
betray
the
mandate
of
2020
when
people
had
voted
the
NDA
back
to
power.
I
am
just
being
used
as
an
alibi
to
justify
yet
another
volte
face.
I
wonder
how
many
times
can
he
switch
sides”.