The BJP suspended two of its legislators in Bihar for choosing to back Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday, and not the party’s prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi, as the next prime minister.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s state president Mangal Pandey said the party has suspended two legislators – Rana Gangeshwar Singh and Avanish Kumar Singh – for anti-party activities.
“The party has suspended both for crossing the party line. It will send a strong message,” Pandey said.
Rana Gangeshwar Singh, BJP legislator from Mohiuddinnagar in Samastipur district, has been backing Nitish Kumar instead of Narendra Modi as the next prime minister for the last few months.
Last week, he had said that the people of Bihar should vote for the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) in the 2014 general election.
He said that as Nitish Kumar turned around the conditions in Bihar, he would turn around the country for better.
Avanish Kumar Singh, who represents Chiraia in East Champaran district, praised Nitish Kumar for developing Bihar and dared senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi to take action against him.
He had said there was no respect for honest leaders in the BJP.
He also hinted that he would contest the next general election from the Motihari parliamentary constituency.


The Bombay High Court granted interim stay on the eviction notice issued by civic-run Sion Hospital against an NGO asking it to relocate its rehabilitation centre for paraplegic patients within the premises of the hospital.
Mumbaikars will not have to pay any new taxes during 2014-15. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) commissioner Sitaram Kunte on Wednesday presented a Rs. 31,178 crore annual budget to the standing committee for the 2014-15 against Rs. 27,578.62 crore for 2013-14.
The first phase of Navi Mumbai international airport will be complete by 2018 with an annual capacity of 10 million passengers.
The government on Wednesday cleared a proposal to construct Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji’s statue in Mumbai. As a beginning the state cabinet at its meeting held on Wednesday approved an allocation of Rs 100 crore to complete initial formalities. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan however, declined to give further details with regard to the exact project cost.