Rejecting opposition’s demand for resignation of chief minister Nitish Kumar over the incident of rape of 34 minor girls at the Muzaffarpur shelter home, Bihar’s ruling JD (U) on Sunday said it was ready for a Supreme Court or Patna high court-monitored probe into the shelter home case, but its CM would not resign.

“Bihar’s mandate is till November 2020. Opposition parties should have patience and wait till that period. Why should Nitish Kumar resign midway?” JD(U) national general secretary and spokesperson K C Tyagi asked.

He also challenged the state’s opposition parties to unseat Nitish Kumar, if they have enough strength in the 243-member Bihar assembly.

The JD(U) spokesperson further criticised the opposition leaders including Congress president Rahul Gandhi for attending the RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav-led dharna and candle protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday.

“Their assembly at the Jantar Mantar was not meant for welfare of the victim minor girls. Their actual agenda was 2019 general election. How can rape of minor girls which has shamed all of us could be an issue to unite against the NDA government and the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar? Their politics over the minor victims is the most unfortunate thing, which needs to be criticised,” Tyagi told TOI over the phone from New Delhi.

He said Nitish Kumar recommended a CBI probe into the shelter home case on the opposition’s demand. “He (Nitish) is a sensitive person. He openly admitted that he felt ashamed over the incident which the opposition parties are trying to use to hit at his conscience so that he relinquishes the post. But, the JD(U) will not let him do so,” Tyagi said.

The JD(U) leader also alleged that the resignation demand was aimed at “assisting” the powerful sand and liquor lobby that have been effectively marginalised by the Nitish government.

Tyagi further slammed Rahul Gandhi, saying his joining the Tejashwi-led protest was “very unfortunate”. He also condemned CPM leader Sitaram Yechury and CPI’s D Raja, saying how could the two leaders forgot the killings of JNU president Chandra Shekhar and Purnia MLA Ajit Sarkar and joined the protest organised by RJD.

