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 1:32 PM IST
People will teach Nitish a lesson: Jharkhand Congress president
Attacking Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for dumping the Mahagathbandhan, Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur said people would teach him a lesson in the future.
Speaking to PTI, Thakur claimed that Kumar has established himself as an “opportunist” by frequently changing sides.
“There is an adage in Hindi that ‘jidhar dekha kheer, wahan gaye fir’ (return wherever there is an opportunity), and it fits Nitish Kumar well,” he said.
“People know him and will teach him a lesson. One Nitish Kumar will make no difference to the opposition bloc INDIA,” he added.
Thakur also alleged that the BJP was “hungry for power”, and it has nothing to do with the welfare of the people.
(With agency inputs)
- 28 Jan 2024 1:30 PM IST
Garbage has gone into dustbin: Lalu's daughter
In an apparent dig at JD(U) president Nitish Kumar who resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya on Sunday said the “garbage has gone into the dustbin”.
Kumar resigned as the chief minister of Bihar, saying “things were not working well” for him in the Mahagathbandhan he had joined less than 18 months ago and the opposition bloc INDIA.
“Garbage goes back into the dustbin. Happy stinking garbage to the group,” Acharya posted on X.
Earlier on Thursday too she had posted controversial remarks and later deleted. Later, the RJD had claimed that Acharya’s social media posts were aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and not Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.
Screenshots of the deleted posts, in Hindi, had gone viral on social media. One of these spoke of “those who are ideologically adrift claim to be the champions of socialism”.
This was construed as an indirect attack on the Bihar CM, the RJD’s ally, who had decried “dynasty politics” a day ago.
(With agency inputs)
