Patna: 6:15 pm BJP President Rajnath Singh, in a spirited attack on the JD(U), says the alliance is breaking when the time has come to remove Congress from the Centre. He says it is unfortunate that JD(U) decided to break ties with the BJP. "Is it my crime that I appointed Narendra Modi as campaign committee head for 2014 elections? Is Modi responsible for the riots? Even during Congress rule there have been major communal riots," he says.
5:12 pm "JD(U) and BJP have divorced today. People gave a fitting reply to both JD(U) and BJP in Maharajgunj bypolls," says RJD chief Lalu Prasad.
4:37 pm BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi says, "BJP has always followed coalition dharma and it had a big role in major policy decision processes in Bihar."
4:35 pm "BJP has called for Bihar Bandh on June 18," says Sushil Kumar Modi.
4:30 pm: BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi says the JD(U) is scared as a person from a backward caste is moving forward to become likely Prime Minister.
3:52 pm: Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj calls the breakup of the NDA "unfortunate". "The breakup of NDA is sad and unfortunate," she tweets.
3:46 pm: Naqvi also makes it clear that the BJP will not go back on its decision on Narendra Modi'e elevation. "We wanted the alliance to remain intact. Our party will make our own decisions, no one else has the right to question that. Once a decision has been made, will not go back on the decision," he says.
3:44 pm: BJP reacts to JD(U)'s decision. Party Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi says, "We always wanted to continue the alliance with JD(U)," he says.
3:43 pm: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut says Nitish's decision has been taken in haste. "This will harm the country and benefit Congress," he says. "Narendra Modi is a BJP leader. To make him campaign committee chief is BJP's decision. PM candidate has not been decided yet. JD(U)'s decision is wrong. This decision will spoil Nitish's image. Decision will also harm JDU in the polls," Raut adds.
3:42 pm: "One needs 272 MPs to become Prime Minister. The allies which were already with the NDA were not enough. More allies were needed for the NDA," says the Bihar Chief Minister.
3:40 pm: "We are not responsible for taking this step. We have been forced to take this step," he says.
3:39 pm: "Had called the cabinet meeting on a routine agenda. Got to know from media reports that the BJP members won't attend. They could not see the writing on the wall and were blaming us instead," says Nitish Kumar.
3:37 pm: All BJP ministers in Nitish Kumar's cabinet sacked.
3:28 pm: Saw the alliance drifting away from the founding principles, says Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. "We cannot compromise on our basic principles," he adds.
3:27: Sharad Yadav resigns from the post of NDA convenor.
3:25 pm: "Consulted with key members of the party. Common view was that now the alliance is not beneficiary for either of the two parties. JD(U) has come out of the alliance," says Sharad Yadav.
3:19 pm: The alliance is not the same the way it was in Vajpayee-Advani era, it is more difficult now, says Sharad Yadav.
3:17 pm: The BJP and the JD(U) together put a good show in Bihar, says Sharad Yadav.
3:15 pm: Events over the last six months have disturbed us, says Sharad Yadav.
3:14 pm: Our alliance with NDA was for over 17 years and we have seen many ups and downs in it, says JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav.
2:55 pm: BJP ministers in Nitish Kumar's cabinet likely to be sacked, say sources.
2:44 pm: Nitish Kumar confirms he will seek a fresh vote of confidence of the House in a special session of Bihar Assembly on June 19.
2:35 pm: LK Advani tells Rajnath Singh that undue haste at Goa in Narendra Modi's anointment has led to the disintegration of a 17-year-old alliance, say sources.
2:32 pm: Nitish Kumar meets Governor, seeks fresh vote of confidence of the House.
1:30 pm: BJP ministers will not quit Bihar Cabinet until the JD(U) walks out of NDA, say sources.
1:20 pm: Nitish Kumar may request the Bihar Governor for a vote of confidence to prove majority. He is also likely to call a special session of Assembly on June 21, say sources.
12:58 pm: BJP ministers are ready to quit Bihar cabinet but are waiting for JDU's decision, says CP Thakur.
12:54 pm: Top JD(U) leaders meet at Nitish Kumar's residence to decide the fate of their alliance with the BJP in Bihar.
12:45 pm: Nitish Kumar to meet the Bihar Governor at 2 pm.
12:32 pm: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seeks an appointment with Bihar Governor Dnyandeo Yashwantrao Patil.
12:25 pm: A strongly-worded resolution is being drafted, it will be read out at 3 pm, say JD(U) sources.
11:53 am: Cabinet meeting begins. All BJP ministers skip the meet.
11:41 am: Bihar NDA convenor Nand Kishore Yadav rules out the possibility of BJP ministers quitting the cabinet. He says the BJP wants the alliance with the JD(U) intact.
11:36 am: Former Bihar BJP chief CP Thakur says if needed, all BJP ministers in Nitish Kumar's cabinet will submit their resignations. "We will not compromise on Modi's elevation," he adds.
11:30 am: BJP President Rajnath Singh calls a meeting with senior party leaders from Bihar at his residence in Delhi.
11:06 am: "CM had invited Sushil Modi and Nand Kishore Yadav for discussion. They had accepted the invitation but at the last minute they did not come. After this there is nothing more to say. They have forced us to take this decision, says JD(U) leader Devesh Chandra Thakur.
10:36 am: BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain says that the party is hopeful that the JD(U) will take a decision in favour of the people of Bihar. "We are waiting for JD(U)'s decision and that's why BJP ministers are not attending Cabinet meeting," he adds.
10:24 am: Nothing important on Cabinet agenda that's why we are not attending the meeting, says Bihar BJP minister Ramadhar Singh.
10:13 am: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has the right to dismiss BJP ministers if they don't perform their duties, says JD(U) leader Shyam Rajak. "If BJP ministers don't perform their duties and indulge in personal agendas, then the CM has all the right to dismiss them," he says.
9:12 am: Bihar BJP ministers are likely to skip the Cabinet meeting called by Nitish Kumar.
8:18 am: All Bihar BJP ministers to meet at Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi's residence in Patna at 10 am.
8 am: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar calls Cabinet meeting at 11:30 am.
The 17-year-old BJP-JD(U) association ended on a bitter note on Sunday. The decision was taken by top Janata Dal (United) leaders, who met at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's residence in Patna in the afternoon.
Over the last few months, Nitish Kumar has given enough hints that elevation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was not acceptable to him. And since, Modi has been appointed as the BJP's campaign committee chief at the recently concluded National Executive in Goa, the Bihar Chief Minister has openly expressed his opposition to the decision.
"We need someone like Atal Bihari Vajpayee to be the prime minister. To lead a country, sometimes you need to wear a tilak and sometimes you need to wear a skull cap," Nitish Kumar said on Friday.
He also did not restrain himself from taking a dig at the BJP. Speaking to the media, the Bihar Chief Minister said: "The situation is dire. Though the BJP blesses the JD(U) with a long life, it acts in a way which is detrimental to our party."
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