Patna, Jun 19 (IANS): Three days after he dumped the BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Wednesday proved his majority in the assembly and declared that his former ally won't win the next Lok Sabha battle.
Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of now trying to impose divisive politics, he said the politics of consultation which the BJP believed in under Atal Bihari Vajpayee had ended.
In a speech in the assembly during a trust motion he moved to prove his majority, Nitish Kumar said India was built on secular foundations and his party would not tolerate anyone trying to cause religious divide.
"The country should be run in a manner so as to take everyone along... Coalition governments are the norm now. No party should be under the false premise that they can run the country on their own steam," he said.
"The work ethics of Atalji (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) was based on how to take everyone along, based on consultations... But now it has changed," he added.
Nitish Kumar sailed through with 126 votes in his favour after 91 BJP members and a Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) legislator walked out of the 243-member house before the voting.
Criticising the BJP, with which his party split last week after Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was made the party's election campaign chief, Nitish Kumar said the BJP's dream of ruling India would be shattered.
He said the BJP had no chance to win the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
"Even if we remained with them, notching up 200 seats would be difficult... Don't be under the illusion that you can do it alone. This is the time of coalitions," he said.
Taking a dig at Modi's Gujarat model of development, Nitish Kumar said: "What vikas (development) model is this where you improve areas that are already good? What kind of improvement is it?"
He said the BJP had benefited by aligning with his Janata Dal-United (JD-U).
"We will not tolerate thopna (imposition of views). We are for the policy of taking everyone along and against divisive policies," he asserted.
Nitish Kumar got the support of JD-U's 117 legislators, four independents, four of the Congress and the sole Communist Party of India member. One JD-U legislator is in jail.
Those who voted against Nitish Kumar included 22 members of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and two independents.
Soon after the JD-U ended its 17-year-old alliance with the BJP Sunday, Nitish Kumar said he would seek a vote of confidence at a special session of the assembly Wednesday.
Nitish Kumar called off the alliance and his colleague Sharad Yadav quit as convenor of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance following differences with the BJP over the growing clout of Modi.
Earlier Report
BJP walks out from trust vote in Bihar Assembly
Patna, Jun 19 (PTI): With the JD(U) mustering majority for passage of trust vote, BJP MLAs today walked out of the Bihar Assembly after accusing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of betraying the mandate of NDA.
"We know you have mustered majority in the House to ensure passage of trust vote...therefore we are walking out," BJP legislature party leader Nandkishore Yadav announced in the House.
On Yadav's announcement, BJP MLAs promptly walked out of the legislative assembly while the debate on the trust vote moved by the Nitish Kumar government was going on.
Yadav accused the Chief Minister of betraying the mandate of the people and said the electorate will teach a lesson to the JD(U) in the next general elections and the 2015 assembly polls.
"The next general elections and the subsequent assembly polls are not too far away in which the people of Bihar will teach a lesson to you (Chief Minister and his party)," the senior BJP leader said.
Apparently seeking to woo away votes of other political parties from the JD(U), Yadav said the Chief Minister was responsible for scrapping the MLA/MLC local area development fund after re-election to power in 2010.
"I had opposed your decision to scrap the local area development funds of the Bihar lawmakers...but you convinced me to go with your decision," he said.
"Do you think that the lawmakers are thieves?" he asked the Chief Minister.
After sacking 11 BJP ministers from his Cabinet, Kumar had met Governor D Y Patil on Sunday and requested him to call a special session of the Assembly to seek trust vote on the floor of the House.
Going by the numbers, the Nitish Kumar government faces no threat as it has the required strength. In the 243-member House, JD(U) has 118 members, including Speaker, BJP 91, RJD 22, Congress 4, LJP and CPI one each and Independents 6.
JD(U) needs support of four more MLAs to reach the magic figure of 122.It has already got support of four Independents.
Lone LJP member Zakir Hussain Khan has also voiced his support to Nitish Kumar in the event of voting as he did not want to be seen with "communal BJP".