The JD(U) on Sunday squarely blamed the BJP for the crossover of Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction in Maharashtra, dubbing the episode as “cowardly and shameful”.

JD(U) chief spokesperson and special advisor K C Tyagi maintained the development in Maharashtra smacked of “fear” instilled by the party’s supreme leader, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, into the BJP by uniting the opposition.

Tyagi also alleged that the MLAs of NCP who have sided with Ajit Pawar were “intimidated through misuse of central investigating agencies”, but insisted the development in the western state will have “no impact nationally”.

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