Nitish moves trust vote, 3 RJD MLAs sit on govt side

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday moved a motion before the state assembly, seeking confidence in the new government he has formed with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Kumar, who heads the Janata Dal-United, moved the motion soon after the House passed a proposal for the removal of Rashtriya Janata Dal's Awadh Bihari Chaudhary as Speaker of the assembly.

Kumar had dumped the RJD-Congress combine, supported by the Left, a fortnight ago and returned to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

Chaudhary, who had refused to step down despite his party losing power a fortnight ago, was removed with 125 members of the 243-strong assembly voting in favour of the no-confidence motion moved against him by the ruling NDA.

Only 112 members voted against the motion.

Earlier, Deputy Speaker Maheshwar Hazari, who was in the Chair, had sought to declare the no-confidence motion as passed through voice vote, but agreed to a headcount following vociferous protests from the RJD.

A new Speaker is likely to be elected by the House after the completion of the government's trust vote.

Meanwhile, the RJD received a jolt after at least three of its members sat on the ruling party benches in the Bihar assembly.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav raised a point of order, taking objection to party MLAs Chetan Anand, Neelam Devi and Prahlad Yadav sitting among members of the ruling NDA, ahead of voting on a no-confidence motion against Speaker Chaudhary.

However, no ruling was given on the point of order by Deputy Speaker Hazari, who was in the Chair.

Taking part in the debate on the confidence motion, Tejashwi said he always considered Nitish to be a father figure, and wondered what forced him to ditch the 'Mahagathbandhan' and return to the NDA.

He also taunted his ex-boss for having been sworn in 'for a record ninth time, and also for the third time within a five-year term, something which has no precedent'.

"I always considered Nitish Kumar as 'Dashrath' (character from the epic 'Ramayan'). I don't know what reasons forced him to ditch the 'Mahagathbandhan'," the former deputy CM said.

Yadav, who had been restrained ever since the upheaval a fortnight ago when Kumar made a return to the NDA fold, vented spleen on the floor of the state assembly.

"The BJP was scared of the 'Mahagathbandhan' government in Bihar... Can Prime Minister Narendra Modi guarantee that Nitish Kumar will not do another volte-face?" he said.