LIVE | ‘Will stay together’: Nitish after taking oath as Bihar CM in NDA fold
Nitish says “things were not working well” for him in the Mahagathbandhan and the INDIA bloc, returns to NDA, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago
JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday (January 28) took oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for a record ninth time after he and his party left the Mahagathbandhan alliance in the state and the Opposition INDIA alliance at the national level and joined the BJP-led NDA alliance yet again.
He was administered the oath of office by Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Raj Bhavan in Patna.
Along with Kumar, BJP leaders Vijay Kumar Sinha and Samrat Choudhary took oath as ministers in the Kumar-led government.
Earlier in the day, Kumar resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar, saying “things were not working well” for him in the Mahagathbandhan and the INDIA bloc, and staked claim to form a new government with the BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago.
The swearing-in ceremony started at 5 pm.
Talking to reporters in Patna after submitting his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Kumar said: “I have submitted my resignation to the Governor. The government that was in place now comes to an end. I have let it go.”
At the state BJP headquarters, the party’s in-charge Vinod Tawde said: “…A proposal was moved to support the JD(U) and form an NDA government, which was unanimously accepted by all MLAs.”
Tawde also said that state BJP president Samrat Choudhary and former Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha have been named as leader and deputy leader, respectively of the legislature party.
The 72-year-old Kumar indicated that he was not feeling happy with the way things were in the Mahagathbandhan in the state as well as the INDIA bloc that he helped take shape but which failed to adequately recognise his efforts.
“You all know how I came to this alliance and also how I worked to bring together so many parties. But of late things were not working well. It was not going down well with those in my party as well,” said Kumar.
He also made an indirect reference to the deafening silence he had maintained over the political turmoil that had engulfed the state for the past few days.
Kumar resigned after a meeting of the JD(U) legislature party, which authorised him to take any decision about the alliance.
The swearing-in was held in the presence of BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, who arrived in Patna in the afternoon.
Kumar had joined the Mahagathbandhan in August 2022, when he had snapped ties with the BJP accusing it of trying to “split” his JD(U). He formed a new government with a multi-party coalition that included RJD, Congress and three Left parties.
(With agency inputs)
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Live Updates
- 28 Jan 2024 12:33 PM IST
#WATCH | BJP MP and former Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi says, "We welcome Nitish Kumar's decision. We knew that the RJD-JDU alliance was an unnatural alliance and would not last long. We are happy and now JDU And BJP will together form the government. I hope that the new… pic.twitter.com/DBD3AbYU21
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2024 - 28 Jan 2024 12:29 PM IST
‘Chameleon’: Congress lashes out at Nitish after U-turn
The Congress on Sunday compared Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to a "chameleon," and said the people of the state will never forgive him for his "betrayal".
The party was reacting to Kumar's decision to resign as Bihar chief minister and leaving the Mahagathbandhan alliance in the state and also dealing a body blow to the opposition bloc INDIA.
Lashing out at Kumar, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said it is clear that a "political drama" is being created in order to divert attention from the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
He said it is clear that the prime minister and the BJP are "scared" of the Yatra being undertaken by Rahul Gandhi, which is set to enter Bihar soon.
"Nitish Kumar, who frequently changes political partners, is giving tough competition to the chameleons in changing colours," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X.
The Congress leader said the people of Bihar will not forgive the "expert of this betrayal" and those who made them dance on their tunes.
"It is quite clear that the prime minister and the BJP are scared of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and this political drama has been created to divert attention from it," the Congress leader said.
(With inputs from agencies)
- 28 Jan 2024 12:09 PM IST
#WATCH | After the resignation of Nitish Kumar as the CM of Bihar, RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari says, "What was left with him? Public is the master. It watches everything and it will demand an account for everything...The work done by Tejashwi Yadav - janata ke beech jayenge aur… pic.twitter.com/K2adCA59Bq
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2024 - 28 Jan 2024 12:08 PM IST
#WATCH | Patna | BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde says, "...In the legislative party meeting...all MLAs unanimously passed the proposal to form the NDA government in Bihar with BJP, JD(U) and other NDA allies for the welfare of the people in the state. Samrat Chaudhary… pic.twitter.com/EJP4mbmzZn
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2024 - 28 Jan 2024 11:50 AM IST
#WATCH | Union Minister and BJP MP Giriraj Singh says, "I thank Nitish Kumar that he has resigned. Whatever be his compulsion, Bihar was perplexed if there was a Jungle Raj 2-like situation in 1.5 years. Had Tejashwi Yadav sat on the seat (CM position), it would have been very… pic.twitter.com/jRIMEoDL5N
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2024 - 28 Jan 2024 11:50 AM IST
"Knew it would happen," says Mallikarjun Kharge on Nitish Kumar's exit from Mahagathbandhan
— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) January 28, 2024
Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/dPQbzR6iHf#MallikarjunKharge #NitishKumar #INDIAAlliance pic.twitter.com/OS1uIyP2MZ
