Bhim Singh, as a JD(U) leader, had served as a minister in Nitish Kumar as well Jitan Ram Manjhi cabinet earlier.
Former minister and Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) leader, Bhim Singh today joined the BJP, which claimed that no leader of substance from Extremely Backward Class was now left with the grand alliance even as the JD(U) shot back and reminded BJP of the one-day strike it had called over Mr Singh's controversial remarks about Indian jawans.
The EBC leader took the membership of BJP at its state headquarters here in the presence of Union ministers Ananth Kumar and Dharmendra Pradhan, senior state leaders Sushil Kumar Modi and Bihar party chief Mangal Pandey.
As a member of Nitish Kumar Cabinet, Mr Singh had said on August 9, 2013 that people join the Army to get martyred, in the wake of killing of Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir that year.
Narendra Modi, then Gujarat Chief Minister, had used the statement to attack Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, slamming him at a soldiers rally at Rewari in 2013.
Mr Singh, as a JD(U) leader, had served as a minister in Nitish Kumar as well Jitan Ram Manjhi cabinet. He later switched sides and sided with Mr Manjhi during his tussle with Mr Kumar before joining the BJP today.
Buoyed by induction of a prominent politician from EBC, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi claimed that no leader of any substance from EBC was now left with JD(U) and Rashtriya Janata Dal.
State BJP President Mangal Pandey also echoed the same. Praising BJP and Modi, Bhim Singh launched an attack at his former boss Nitish Kumar calling him "arrogant and corrupt."
EBCs constitutes about 30 per cent of the electorate in the state.
Meanwhile, JD(U) attacked BJP for induction of Mr Singh whose comment on soldiers was assailed by the saffron party leaders.
"BJP had called one-day strike in Bihar in 2013 over Bhim Singh's controversial statement and Narendra Modi had mentioned the statement in his soldiers rally at Rewari ... this has exposed BJP's true 'chaal, charitra and chehra' (attitude, culture and face)," said state JD(U) spokesperson Ajay Alok.
He said it was good for his party and the grand alliance of JD(U), RJD and Congress that such elements were going to the BJP.