BJP inducts former JD(U) minister Bhim Singh

Patna: Former JD(U) minister Bhim Singh on Friday joined BJP, which claimed that no leader of substance from EBCs was now left with the grand alliance, even as the JD(U) shot back and reminded BJP of the one-day strike it had called over Singh's controversial remarks about Indian jawans.

Singh, an Extremely Backward Caste (EBC) leader, took the membership of BJP at its state headquarters here in the presence of Union ministers Ananth Kumar and Dharmendra Pradhan, senior state leaders Sushil Kumar Modi and Bihar party chief Mangal Pandey.

Singh, as a member of Nitish Kumar Cabinet, had said on August 9, 2013 that people join the Army to get martyred, in the wake of killing of Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir that year.

Narendra Modi, then Gujarat Chief Minister, had used the statement to attack Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Modi also slammed him at a soldiers rally at Rewari in 2013.

Singh, as a JD(U) leader, had served as a minister in Nitish Kumar as well Jitan Ram Manjhi cabinet. He later switched sides and sided with Manjhi during his tussle with Kumar before joining the BJP today.

Buoyed by induction of a prominent politician from EBC, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi claimed that no leader of any substance from EBC was now left with JD(U) and RJD. State BJP President Mangal Pandey also echoed the same. Praising BJP and Modi, Bhim Singh launched an attack at his former boss Nitish Kumar calling him "arrogant and corrupt."

EBCs constitutes about 30 per cent of the electorate in the state.

Meanwhile, JD(U) attacked BJP for induction of Singh whose comment on soldiers was assailed by the saffron party leaders.

"BJP had called one-day strike in Bihar in 2013 over Bhim Singh's controversial statement and Narendra Modi had mentioned the statement in his soldiers rally at Rewari ... this has exposed BJP's true 'chaal, charitra and chehra' (attetude, culture and face)," state JD(U) spokesman Ajay Alok said.

He said it was good for his party and the 'Grand Secular Alliance' that such elements were going to the BJP.