Not Quitting, Signals Tejashwi Yadav, As He Attends Bihar Cabinet Meet

 Lalu Yadav's son Tejashwi Yadav attended a meeting of the Bihar cabinet today, it telegraphed an act of defiance a day after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's broad hint that he should quit over corruption charges.

That is not happening anytime soon, it was apparent, as Tejashwi, deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, arrived with his older brother and cabinet colleague Tej Pratap.

This is 27-year-old Tejashwi's first meeting with Nitish Kumar since the Yadav family was raided last week by the CBI over charges that as Railways Minister, Lalu Yadav exploited his position to acquire three acres of land in Patna at cheaper rates. Tejashwi is also one of the owners of the land, where a mall is being built.

Mr Yadav has alleged that he is being subjected to political vendetta by the ruling BJP at the centre, and the corruption charges are false. He won support from the Congress and other opposition parties but Nitish Kumar's silence on the charges was loudest.

Yesterday, after a four-hour meeting of his party Janata Dal United, Mr Kumar signaled that the only way his alliance with Mr Yadav and the Congress, formed in 2015, would survive was if Tejashwi resigned.

"I shall not compromise with my principles. I am firm on my resolve of zero tolerance against corruption," the Chief Minister told his party at his home in Patna.

Later, the party's spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said: "Those facing corruption charges should face the public and come clean on the corruption charges."

The suggestion was that what the Yadavs have been saying so far isn't enough and that a detailed, point-by-point counter to the CBI's charges must be issued. "We created a precedent by taking the resignations of our own ministers," said the spokesperson.

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