Manoj Singh (right), who joined the BJP on Monday, addresses the reporters, as Ashwani Chaubey (left) and CP Thakur (centre) look on, in Patna. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Sept. 13: When it comes to family politics, the stand of NDA allies BJP and JD (U) in Bihar is like chalk and cheese. Statement of BJP Bihar unit president Dr C.P. Thakur at least suggests so.

“What is wrong in it if the son of a politician enters into politics and aspires for a ticket,” Thakur today told reporters while replying to a query on his son Vivek Thakur, who is reported to be lobbying for a BJP ticket in the Assembly elections.

The junior Thakur had unsuccessfully contested the 2005 Assembly polls on a BJP ticket from Brahmpur.

The view of the BJP chief is completely different from that of the chief minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar.

Commenting on the reports coming from Delhi that the party has decided to send Narendra Modi for electioneering in Bihar, Thakur said that he had talks with party leader Ravi Shanker Prasad over phone and Prasad denied approval of any such plan.

“The names of the party campaigners would be decided by the central leadership. Whenever the names are finalised we will share the information with the reporters,” the state BJP president said.

The BJP state unit president also made a formal announcement regarding joining of Manoj Singh, a member of Bihar legislative council, in the BJP. “The party will certainly benefit because of the inclusion of Manoj Singh,” Thakur said.

Singh, who belongs to Paratapur village in Siwan district, the native place of jailed RJD leader Mohammed Shahabuddin, started his political career with Shahabuddin only. But he never joined RJD. He had joined BJP two years ago and was expelled from the party in 2009 for extending support to Om Prakash Yadav, an Independent candidate from Siwan, during parliamentary polls. The same year he became an MLC as an Independent can- didate.

Terming his coming back to the BJP fold as homecoming, Singh said: “I was always with the party and never felt away from it despite being expelled.”