Patna, July 23 (IANS) Two days after a clash during the NDA meeting in Bihar, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha and Rural Works Department Minister Ashok Chaudhary addressed a joint press conference on Wednesday, signalling unity within the alliance.
Deputy CM Vijay Sinha and Ashok Chaudhary both strongly opposed RJD leader Bhai Virendra’s statement in the state Assembly and stepped out together to address the media, a rare sight in Bihar’s political landscape.
“We have not seen such an incident inside the House in my entire life. The way RJD MLA Bhai Virendra used the word and did not apologise to the House despite repeated requests from the Speaker was unacceptable. We strongly condemned it,” Deputy CM Sinha said in a joint press conference with Ashok Choudhary in the Bihar Assembly.
Bhai Virendra, on Wednesday, said he used the word ‘Bapauti’, which is not unparliamentary.
“NDA has established Gunda Raj in Bihar, and I will not apologise for the word I have used in the House. I say again, the House is not anyone’s patrimony,” Bhai Virendra said.
This was the first time Vijay Sinha and Ashok Chaudhary appeared together in a press conference, overshadowing the earlier chaos in the Assembly.
Just two days ago, tensions between Vijay Sinha and Ashok Chaudhary erupted during the NDA Legislative Party meeting.
The Deputy CM had questioned the Rural Works Department’s practice of not inviting local MLAs to district-level meetings, referencing the absence of Suryagarha MLA Prahlad Yadav, who had supported the NDA during the floor test despite being an RJD MLA.
Vijay Sinha emphasised that honouring such MLAs was part of the coalition dharma.
During the NDA meeting, several BJP MLAs expressed concerns over the Rural Works Department’s global tendering practices, alleging that awarding contracts to a few large contractors could politically harm local MLAs, especially in an election year.
Vijay Sinha voiced these concerns, leading to a heated exchange with Ashok Chaudhary, who defended the department’s decisions.
The clash became a topic of intense discussion across Bihar, with the BJP and JD(U) top leadership intervening to ease tensions between the two leaders.
The joint press conference on Wednesday was a clear message that the NDA remains cohesive despite internal disagreements.
–IANS
ajk/svn