Opposition flays JD-U for U-turn

Patna: The Opposition in Bihar has criticised the JD(U)’s sudden U-turn on Article 370 and said that “the party has been exposed after changing its stand on the issue”.

The JD(U), after opposing the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in both Houses of Parliament, had later announced that it would support the move.

MPs belonging to the JD(U), a major NDA ally in the northern state, had walked out of Rajya Sabha over the issue.

Senior JD(U) leader and MP RCP Singh said that “The party had opposed the Centre’s move, but now it has become a law and all of us should support it.”

Speaking to this newspaper, senior Congress party leader Prem Chand Mishra said, “Their walkout was just an eyewash. They first supported the government on the issue of triple talaq by abstaining from the voting process and then they did the same thing by walking out of the Parliament over Article 370. Their double standards on the issue have been exposed”.

JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh while protesting against the government’s move to abrogate J&K’s special status in the Lok Sabha had said that his party could not become part of the resolution and walked out of the House.

Earlier this week senior JD(U) leader K.C. Tyagi had justified his party’s MPs staging a walkout in Rajya Sabha.

Another party leader, Shyam Rajak, who is also a minister in Bihar, had openly criticised the move and called it “a black day in constitutional history”.

Mr RCP Singh further clarified that “Our leader George Fernandes was not in favour of supporting BJP on controversial issues like triple talaq, abrogation of Article 370 and Ayodhya”.