Stage set for trust vote of Nitish govt in Bihar on Monday
Patna (PTI): The NDA government in Bihar, formed as a result of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar's latest volte face, will on Monday seek trust vote in the assembly where the numbers are stacked in its favour, but the opposition snaps at its heels.
The inaugural day of the budget session will commence with the Governor's customary address to members of the bicameral legislature after which the assembly will take up the no-confidence motion against Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary before the trust vote.
Chaudhary, who belongs to RJD, the largest constituent of the 'Mahagathbandhan' which Kumar quit a fortnight ago, has made it clear that he will not step down despite the motion moved by legislators of the NDA soon after the new government was formed.
The NDA, which includes JD(U), BJP, former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha and an Independent, has a combined strength of 128 MLAs in the 243-strong assembly, six more than the majority mark.
The absence of a few MLAs at the JD(U) legislative party meeting on Sunday and a couple of legislators at the BJP's two-day training workshop in Bodh Gaya, has provided cannon fodder to the 'Mahagathbandhan' which has been claiming that the NDA will fall short of 122 votes it must garner in order to remove the Speaker.
However, both JD(U) and the BJP have dismissed such misgivings, claiming all legislators will be present inside the House. However, leaving nothing to chance, the JD(U) put up many of its MLAs, after the legislative party meeting, at a city hotel.
Likewise, many BJP MLAs, upon return from the workshop, were asked to stay back at the residence of Vijay Kumar Sinha, who has taken over as a deputy chief minister.
The 'Mahagathbandhan' has a combined strength of 114 MLAs, eight short of the majority mark, but claims that while all its legislators were firmly intact, quite a few in the NDA camp were unhappy over the sudden change of tack by JD(U) and BJP and might turn the tables on the new government.
In a show of solidarity, notwithstanding the sudden loss of power, a number of legislators belonging to the 'Mahagathbandhan', which comprises RJD, Congress, CPI(ML), CPI and CPI(M), have been staying at the residence of the coalition's leader Tejashwi Yadav, who lost the deputy CM's post as a result of Kumar's abrupt parting of ways.
Meanwhile, state BJP president Samrat Choudhary, who is also a deputy CM, has warned of "stern action" against any attempts at horse trading.
Nitish Kumar, who has been sworn in as the chief minister for a record ninth term, has also been closely monitoring the situation within the JD(U), having attended the legislative party meeting as also a luncheon held a day earlier which was seen as a warm-up exercise ahead of the crucial trust vote.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Navdeep Singh's silver upgraded to gold in men's javelin throw F41 at Paralympics
Paris, Sep 7: India's Navdeep Singh's silver medal was upgraded to gold after Iran's Beit Sayah Sadegh was disqualified following a dramatic men's javelin throw F41 final at the Paris Paralympics on Saturday.
This is India's first-ever gold medal in the men's javelin F41 category.
Starting the competition with a foul, the 23-year-old para-athlete from Haryana, who had finished fourth at the Tokyo Games three years ago, came up with a throw of 46.39 metres in his second attempt, propelling him to the second place. But it was his third throw that electrified the stadium.
With a monstrous throw of 47.32 metres, Navdeep shattered the Paralympic record and surged into lead, only for Sadegh to better the Indian's mark and clinch the gold with a record-breaking effort of 47.64 metres in his fifth attempt.
However, the Iranian was disqualified some time after the end of the final, leading to the Indian athlete taking the top spot.
The F41 category is for athletes, who are of short stature.
