JD(U) expels Prashant Kishor, Pavan Varma for 'anti-party' activities

The duo had questioned party's stand on CAA, NRC

Prashant Kishor and Pavan Varma Prashant Kishor and Pavan Varma

The Janata Dal (United) on Wednesday expelled its vice president Prashant Kishor and senior leader Pavan Varma from its primary membership for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities. Both Kishor and Varma have been attacking the Nitish Kumar-led party's stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The two leaders were acting against the party's decisions as well as its functioning, said a JD(U) statement issued by party's chief general secretary K.C. Tyagi. It also accused Kishor of using “insulting words” against the Bihar chief minister.

"Thank you Nitish Kumar. My best wishes to you to retain the chair of Chief Minister of Bihar. God bless you," tweeted Kishor soon after his expulsion.

The feud between Kishor and Nitish had come out in the open on Tuesday with the chief minister claiming that he had inducted the strategist-turned- politician into the party on the recommendation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Hours after, Kishor hit back at Nitish, accusing him of lying. He also questioned if it was tantamount to admitting capitulation before the BJP.  Kishor joined the party in September 2018 and was elevated to the rank of its national vice-president just weeks later.

Kishor has been rankling the BJP for quite some time, questioning his own party's decision to support the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament and insisting that the JD(U) contest a significantly higher number of seats than the saffron party in the assembly polls in Bihar due later this year.

"I will be happy if he (Kishor) remains in the party. I would be okay if he chooses otherwise. But if he has to stay he must do so respecting the party's structure," Kumar had said on Tuesday.

Pavan Varma, besides opposing the party's stand on the CAA, had also questioned the party's decision to contest the Delhi assembly polls in alliance with BJP. The former career diplomat- turned-politician had also shared the screenshots of a two-page letter written to Kumar in this regard.