Image Courtesy: TOI
The Janata Dal (United) has expelled famous political strategist and party national president Prashant Kishor and leader Pavan Varma from the party after the two leaders had questioned the party’s alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) outside Bihar and its stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), reported News 18.
The party’s chief general secretary KC Tyagi said that Kishor used his position at the party for selfish purposes. “And even after being given the option to leave the party as per his wishes, he chose to use objectionable words against the party chief,” the statement said, adding, “to ensure Prashant Kishor doesn’t stoop even lower, it is important to let him go from the party.”
The decision to remove Kishor from the party came after he dismissed Nitish Kumar’s allegation of Kishor being inducted to the JD(U) at the behest of Amit Shah calling it a lie.
https://twitter.com/
Thank you @NitishKumar. My best wishes to you to retain the chair of Chief Minister of Bihar. God bless you.??
— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) January 29, 2020
With regards to Pavan Varma, KC Tyagi said that he took the honour given by the party to him was taken for granted and that he had shown disrespect for the party by making public a letter he had addressed to the party president CM Nitish Kumar. He said, “Nitish Kumar gave more honour to Pavan Varma than what he deserved. Making public a letter addressed to the party president and mentioning certain private talks in such letter, show that the party’s discipline was not acceptable to Varma. The party runs on collective responsibility, but some people become victim of confusion that the party runs on their ideology.”
Varma had posted on social media, Varma had sought ideological clarity from Kumar after the party entered into an alliance with the BJP in the Delhi Assembly polls.
https://twitter.com/PavanK_
This is the letter I have written to @NitishKumar today asking him how the JD(U) has formed an alliance with the BJP for the Delhi elections, given his own views on the BJP, and the massive national outrage against the divisive CAA-NPR-NRC scheme. pic.twitter.com/ErSynnuiYm
— Pavan K. Varma (@PavanK_Varma) January 21, 2020
Post the expulsion, both Kishor and Varma took to Twitter to slam and thank Nitish Kumar for his decision.
https://twitter.com/
.@NitishKumar what a fall for you to lie about how and why you made me join JDU!! Poor attempt on your part to try and make my colour same as yours!
And if you are telling the truth who would believe that you still have courage not to listen to someone recommended by @AmitShah?
— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) January 28, 2020
https://twitter.com/PavanK_
Thank you Nitish Kumar ji for freeing me from my increasingly untenable position of defending you and your policies. I wish you well in your ambition of being CM of Bihar at any cost.
— Pavan K. Varma (@PavanK_Varma) January 29, 2020
India Today reported that according to JD(U) insiders, Kumar had asked Kishor and Varma to exercise their options, instead of showing them the door, but Kishor’s tweet calling Nitish a liar was the final nail in the coffin.
Pavan Varma and Prashant Kishor had both been handpicked by Nitish Kumar. Varma was first made a culture advisor and was later given a stint in the Rajya Sabha following which he was made the party’s general secretary and national spokesperson.
In 2015, Prashant Kishor handled JD(U)’s campaign for the Bihar Assembly election and was made the party’s national vice president in 2018.
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