Sushil Kumar Modi addresses the BJP legislative party meeting at 1 Polo Road in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, June 19: Dissension surfaced within the BJP today over the choice of Leader of Opposition in the Assembly with a section of legislators protesting the selection of Nand Kishore Yadav to the post without holding any discussion.

Peeved at the decision of the BJP parliamentary board to select Yadav as the new Leader of Opposition, former urban development minister Prem Kumar and several other party leaders skipped the BJP legislature party meeting this morning before the special session of the House. Former ministers Chandra Mohan Rai and Giriraj Singh also expressed their displeasure over Yadav’s selection.

“The party MLAs were not even consulted. Several of our senior members like former health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey were not present. We have put up this matter before the party top brass. The top leaders said they would look into the manner,” Kumar said.

An MLA since 1995, Yadav was the state convener of the erstwhile NDA. He has been the face of the powerful Yadav caste in the party.

Kumar, on the other hand, has been representing the Gaya rural seat since 1990. He belongs to Kahar caste — one of the 108 extremely backward classes (EBCs). His supporters said since the party was seeking support from the EBCs, the former urban development minister deserved the post.

Yadav’s supporters, however, pointed out that Kumar lacked the oratory skills needed for the post.

But Yadav earned praise for his speech in the Assembly today from former chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi. “He spoke so well that the chief minister had no answers to his questions,” Modi said, hours after Kumar and few other party leaders dissented his selection.

Internal strife in the state BJP came out in the open more than once in the past. In 1997, there was a virtual revolt against the party’s tallest leader in Bihar, Sushil Kumar Modi. Several senior party leaders like Choubey, Rai and others camped in Delhi for his removal as the leader of the BJP. It was believed that Yadav led the revolt. Modi managed to retain his post only after the intervention of central leaders.

The BJP leaders dubbed the dissent shown by Kumar today as a minor issue, which would be taken care of by the central leadership.

Besides the internal strife, the BJP has to establish itself as the main opposition of the party in the state.

“We have been a part of the Nitish government for the past seven years. There will be many issues we would not be able to touch. We will have to be careful in selecting the issues to attack the government,” conceded a senior party leader.

Yadav told The Telegraph his party would be unsparing in its criticism towards its former ally. “We will raise matters related to any irregularity perceived by us. The BJP, however, believes in playing the role of a constructive opposition. We do not believe in opposition for the sake of opposition. We will be with the government on issues related to development of the state,” he added.

Not surprisingly, former Leader of the Opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui declared that his party (RJD) remained the “asli” (real) opposition to the Nitish government.