RK Singh should have said BJP doesn't need JD-U's support during Lok Sabha polls: Ashok Chaudhary

New Delhi [India], September 5 (ANI): Responding to BJP leader and Union Power Minister RK Singh's statement about his party being capable of forming a government on its own in Bihar, State Minister and JDU leader Ashok Chaudhary on Saturday said that Singh should have made his sentiments known during Lok Sabha election.
"This can be his sentiments, but he should have said this during Lok Sabha elections. (Ye unki bhawna ho sakti hai, par Lok Sabha chunav main bolte to samajh main aata)," Chaudhary said to ANI.
Senior Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Shivanand Tiwari, while talking to ANI said that Singh's statement is a way of insulting Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
"He is saying this to insult Nitish Kumar. When all senior party leaders, including BJP president, have said that they'll contest the polls under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, then saying something like this proves nothing, other than insulting him and saying BJP is doing a favour to him, otherwise they are capable of contesting the elections alone. (Aap par kripa kar rahe hain aap ke saath jud ke, warna ham akele hi lar lete)," said Tiwari.
BJP leader and Union Power Minister RK Singh on September 4 said that BJP is capable of forming a government on its own in Bihar assembly polls but the party has been in alliance with JD-U for over two decades and respects "alliance dharma" and will not leave its friends.
The minister said that the BJP has a solid support base in Bihar.
"BJP can form a government on its own in Bihar. But one thing should be understood that we formed an alliance with JD-U in 1996 and we have an old partnership so why should we leave our partnership. We are not going to break our alliance. Having said that, we surely are in a position to fight alone and form a government by fighting alone. There should be no doubt about that," Singh told ANI.
"The support base of our party and our leader PM Narendra Modi is solid in Bihar. There should be no doubt about this. But one thing is sure that we will not leave our friends. Our partnership with JD-U is so old that we will not leave it," he said.
JD-U had ended its 17-year-old alliance with BJP in 2013 but rejoined the BJP-led NDA in 2017 after snapping its ties with RJD. The two parties had fought the last assembly polls against each other and fought the 2019 Lok Sabha polls together.
Singh, who is MP from Arrah, said the result of the Lok Sabha polls clearly show "what is the support base of BJP and PM Narendra Modi in Bihar".
"It is clear that on the basis of the support base, there should be seat-sharing between BJP-JDU. If the parties take reality into consideration, then the weightage of BJP is more."
The BJP leader said that seat-sharing will be done amicably between BJP, JD-U, and LJP soon.
The Union Power Minister rejected the challenge posed by the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar Assembly polls.
"As far as the Mahagathbandhan is concerned, RJD and Congress are scattered. Manjhiji has also joined our alliance. Many of the MLAs and MLCs of Mahagathbandhan have come to us. They are not in the contest anywhere," he said.
The election on 243 Assembly seats of Bihar is due in October-November. The tenure of the current Assembly will end on November 29.
The Election Commission has not yet taken a final call on poll dates in Bihar due to the coronavirus pandemic. (ANI)