Five Janta Dal (United) JD(U) MLAs joined BJP on Friday.(File)
Alleging horse-trading in the merger of Janta Dal United Members of Legislative Assembly(MLAs) into BJP in Manipur, Janata Dal (United) (JDU) chief Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh said on Saturday that the merger was done by BJP using money power.
The JD(U )chief said, "Whatever happened in Manipur was done by BJP using money power. For the Prime Minsiter, coming together of opposition parties is corruption. They can do whatever they want but JD(U) will become a national party by 2023."
In Arunachal Pradesh, the JD(U) MLAs won seven seats whereas in Manipur the MLAs won six seats defeating BJP. JD(U) will become a national party in 2023 no matter how hard the Bhartiya Janta Party tries to stop it, claimed the JDU chief.
Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh also said, "The BJP MLAs in 2020 did not fulfill the religion of alliance, and money power was used to break the MLAs in Manipur."
The JD(U) chief alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is changing the definition of corruption and virtue. A corrupt individual becomes clean and washed after they join the BJP.
"PM Modi is changing the definition of corruption and virtue. If the Prime Minister is using money power, then it is a virtue. If the opposition party is coming on one platform, then there is corruption," Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh said.
According to a statement from the Manipur Legislative Assembly Secretariat, Five Janta Dal (United) JD(U) MLA merged with BJP on Friday. The merger with BJP has been done under the tenth schedule of the Constitution.
Upendra Kushwaha, a member of the Bihar Legislative council representing JD(U), took a dig at the BJP for trying to destroy the party.
"We were saying that BJP is continuously trying to destroy our party. We felt it while being with National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and it's proven today. Today, we're against them so their attacks will increase but we are ready to face them." Upendra Kushwaha, JD(U) on the merger of 5 Manipur JD(U) MLAs into BJP.
In the 2015 assembly election, PM Modi conducted 42 meetings and could secure only 52 seats.
Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh said, "BJP does not need to worry about JD(U), they should instead be worrying about 2024 the year BJP will be leaving the country."
It has been the constant effort of JD(U) to bring all the parties on one platform and go against the BJP.
"The BJP is trying to change the government in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi, and its effect is visible in the country. This kind of action shows that BJP is in panic and nervous about 2024. The BJP tried for a very long period in Bihar, but nothing is going to happen here, they had also tried to engage an agent of our party in this work," Rajiv Ranjan Lallan Singh said.
Earlier, on August 18, the former party president RCP Singh was expelled from the post of party chief for being assessed to be the "agent of BJP".
JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh said, "RCP Singh announced to join BJP, he was already working as an agent of BJP. Anyone who talks about ending the existence of JD(U) will lose his existence."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)