Bihar unrest: Nitish Kumar seeks time from President to parade 130 supporting MLAs

Apparently apprehending a delay in an invitation to him to form the government, Bihar JD(U) LP leader Nitish Kumar on Monday requested for time from President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday to parade all 130 supporting MLAs.

"Time has been sought from Rashtrapati Bhawan on February 11," JD(U) General Secretary K C Tyagi said.

Kumar and other senior leaders would meet the president to press for opportunity to form government in Bihar, he said. ll the 130 MLAs belonging to JD(U), RJD, Congress, one CPI and an Independent would accompany Kumar to Rashtrapati Bhawan to be present before the president, said Tyagi, who has reached Delhi and is holding fort there.

Tyagi said such a parade before President has been done in the past. In 2005 when the then Bihar Governor Buta Singh had denied opportunity to Nitish Kumar to form government, JD(U) and BJP legislators led by L K Advani had marched to the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

It had also happened when opportunity was denied to Kalyan Singh in Uttar Pradesh and N T Rama Rao in Andhra Pradesh, he added. Highly placed sources in Nitish Kumar's office said if no word from Raj Bhawan comes by tomorrow noon, he along with the 130 supporting MLAs might rush to Delhi.