New Delhi

Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi on Wednesday said that he did not participate in the latest membership drive of the party, clarifying that there is no personal friction between him and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar due to the Rajya Sabha seat allocation.

Tyagi, a founding member of the party since its inception, maintained that his "relationship with Nitish Kumar and the Bihar JDU remains the same".

"I am the founder of Janata Dal (United) alongside George Fernandes, Sharad Yadav, Nitish Kumar, and Digvijay Singh... I have been a member ever since. However, I did not participate in this membership drive," he said.

The senior leader also addressed the speculations regarding his parliamentary ambitions, denying that his exit was linked to a desire for a seat in the Rajya Sabha. "There is not a single instance of me trying for a Rajya Sabha ticket. Even in 2013, Nitish Kumar called me and offered me a ticket," said Tyagi.

This came a day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar secured a victory in the Rajya Sabha elections, Yesterday, Tyagi confirmed that he has not resigned from the party, highlighting that he shares a long history with the Bihar CM. "I have a 50-year-old relationship with Nitish Kumar. In Jayaprakash ji's movement, then in the Janata Party, Lok Dal, and then under Karpoori ji's leadership, we did politics together. I have not resigned."

Beyond his own party, Tyagi launched a sharp attack on the Congress party, following sitting MP Pradyut Bordoloi's exit from the party and joining the BJP.

"The Congress party is on its decline. Due to poor leadership and wrong policies, it is sinking deeper into the abyss", he said.

Meanwhile, MP Pradyut Bordoloi joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Assam BJP President Dilip Saikia.

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Earlier, Bordoloi had accused the Congress leadership of sidelining him, which led to the end of his lifelong association with the Congress party amid allegations of internal mistreatment.

He clarified that the resignation stemmed from "multiple issues" as opposed to a singular ticket allocation for the Assam Assembly elections.