Bihar Governor 'hurt' by Nitish Kumar's allegations of acting under Centre's pressure

Bihar Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi on Friday said he was extremely hurt by former chief minister Nitish Kumar's allegations that he was acting on the orders of New Delhi.

"Very hurt that allegation has been made Governor has been ordered by Delhi. Politics has gone down to this level, it has left me very disappointed," Tripathi said.

He also denied being under any kind of pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Central Government.

"Allegations made by Nitish and allies may be from a political prism but does not bode well for parliamentary democracy. There is no pressure on me from the BJP or the Central Government," added Tripathi.

Earlier on Wednesday, Nitish and a delegation of MLAs from Bihar who support him, met President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and requested him to look into the matter of the government formation in the state. After the meeting, Nitish had accused the BJP of attempting to force President's rule in Bihar and encouraging horse-trading in the state assembly.

Nitish, who wanted an invitation from Bihar Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi to form a new government in the state after he was elected the leader of JD (U) Legislature Party, had earlier called for a democratic process to be followed in the state.

Jitan Ram Manjhi, who has refused to resign as the Bihar Chief Minister, was earlier expelled from the JD (U) by party chief Sharad Yadav.

The action against Manjhi, who had earlier on Sunday met Prime Minister Modi in the national capital, came after the JD (U) accused him of anti-party activities.