Patna: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh has left his occasion, the Janata Dal (United), in a repair after attending the inauguration of the brand new Parliament constructing. The JD(U), which boycotted the occasion, has accused him of “promoting his conscience”, however has until now shunned taking any motion in opposition to him.
The event has echoes of late Somnath Chatterjee’s defiance of his occasion’s want to resign as Lok Sabha Speaker after the Communist Celebration of India (Marxist) withdrew assist from the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) authorities in 2008. Chatterjee had on the time reasoned that the Speaker ought to stay non-partisan. The CP(M) later expelled him from the occasion, however he continued as Speaker.
After round 10 months of silence on its MP persevering with as Rajya Sabha deputy chairman regardless of its severing ties with the BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) has spoken out. “Harivansh has offered his conscience to stay in his put up. On the day his occasion was staging a dharna to protest the inaugural perform of the brand new Parliament constructing, he was not solely actively collaborating in it, but in addition praised the PM,” JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar instructed ThePrint.
Whereas addressing the gathering within the new Parliament constructing after the inauguration Sunday, Harivansh Narayan mentioned: “It’s a matter of immense happiness {that a} new fashionable Parliament constructing was constructed in lower than 2.5 years beneath the management of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
JD(U) spokesperson Kumar, an MLC, mentioned that the occasion had anticipated Harivansh Narayan to keep away from the perform, “particularly after Bihar CM Nitish Kumar had declared that there was no want for a brand new Parliament home”.
It’s for the occasion’s nationwide president (Lalan Singh) to take any resolution on expulsion, he added.
ThePrint reached Harivansh Narayan by cellphone calls, however didn’t get a response. Nevertheless, his shut aide mentioned that for the reason that RS deputy chairman occupied a constitutional put up, it might be “inappropriate for him to remark”.
“Harivanshji didn’t react to the costs made by the present nationwide president of JD(U) Lalan Singh final yr that the vice-chairman was one of many important architects of Nitish Kumar switching sides from Lalu to BJP in 2017,” added the aide.
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A tough state of affairs
The JD(U) has been in a repair over Harivansh Narayan — who they made deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha in 2018 whereas in alliance with the BJP — ever because it switched sides and joined arms with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) final August.
“Since Harivanshji holds a constitutional put up, he’s not sure to simply accept the needs of the occasion. If Nitishji had requested him to stop and Harivanshji had refused it, it might have meant public humiliation,” mentioned a senior JD(U) chief, not desirous to be named.
Sources throughout the occasion indicated that ever since Nitish Kumar left the BJP, there was no communication between him and Harivansh. “In December final yr, Harivansh got here to Patna to advertise his e-book on the Patna e-book honest. Harivansh did search an appointment with the Bihar CM, however he was ignored”, the JD(U) chief quoted above, instructed ThePrint.
“It seems that Harivansh is able to face expulsion from the occasion and he has already tilted in direction of PM Narendra Modi,” mentioned one other JD(U) chief, requesting anonymity.
PK provides gasoline to fireplace
Former ballot strategist Prashant Kishor has added salt to the JD(U)’s wounds. A day earlier than the brand new Parliament constructing inauguration, Kishor, by his ‘political initiative’ Jan Suraaj, replayed his personal assertion made greater than a month in the past. He claimed that Nitish Kumar’s efforts to forge a unified Opposition for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls lacked credibility.
“Nitish Kumar is maintaining his channel with the BJP open. Harivansh Narayan Singh is a JD(U) MP. However after he (Nitish) left the BJP, he (Harivansh) has been allowed to proceed in his put up. The occasion has not requested him to resign,” Kishore reportedly mentioned in Samastipur Saturday.
Journalist, media adviser to PM, Rajya Sabha MP
Harivansh Narayan, (67), hails from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, and was near former prime minister Chandra Shekhar, throughout whose quick tenure (November 1990 to June 1991), he served as media adviser. He has 40 years of expertise as a journalist — first in a Hindi weekly primarily based in Kolkata, after which a Hindi newspaper in Ranchi.
He turned near Nitish Kumar after he supported the CM’s demand of particular standing for Bihar. In 2014, Harivansh was made a JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP rather than N. Ok. Singh, former chairman of the Finance Fee of India.
In 2018, Harivansh was elected deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha with the assist of Nationwide Democratic Alliance (NDA), defeating the Opposition’s candidate. In 2020, he was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha and re-elected as its deputy chairman.
Harivansh joins a gaggle of leaders like Pawan Verma, N. Ok. Singh and Prashant Kishor, whom Nitish Kumar had introduced into the JD(U) however have since then been disenchanted with the Bihar CM.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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