JD(U) not to join Union Council of Ministers again: Party national president

RCP Singh, a former national president of the JD(U), had to give up his cabinet berth following denial of another Rajya Sabha term by the party

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) on August 7 made it clear that it will not join the Union Council of Ministers, where it has been left with no representation after the resignation of RCP Singh.

Addressing a press conference here, JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan also said that the exit of RCP Singh from the party was along expected lines since "his body was here but his soul was elsewhere".

"We stick to our stand of 2019 when, after the Lok Sabha polls, we had decided not to join the government at the Centre," the JD(U) president said.

He, however, asserted "all is well" between his party and the BJP, dismissing speculation of rift that followed a number of recent developments, including the chief minister's decision to skip a NITI Aayog meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, reportedly citing post-COVID debility.

RCP Singh, a former national president of the JD(U), had to give up his cabinet berth following denial of another Rajya Sabha term by the party.

He quit the JD(U) on Saturday, hours after reports surfaced that the party sought an explanation from him over allegations of corruption levelled by some unidentified workers.