New Delhi: A day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was elected to Rajya Sabha, senior JD(U) leader and former Rajya Sabha MP K.C. Tyagi has resigned from the party’s primary membership.
His close associates told ThePrint that he doesn’t see much of a role for himself in the JD(U) anymore, with the Bharatiya Janata Party set to install its own CM. They said Tyagi is likely to shift his political activities to Uttar Pradesh, his home state. He had been elected to the Lok Sabha from Hapur in UP in 1989.
“JD(U) came into existence on 30 October, 2003 with the merger of Samata Party and Janata Dal. George Fernandes was president & myself, as the secretary general of the party, worked together. I worked with Shri Sharad Yadav Ji & Shri Nitish Kumar Ji as my president. And myself as chief general secretary, chief spokesman & political adviser of the party. Now the membership campaign of (the) party has ended. This time I’ve not renewed the membership of the party,” said Tyagi, who has worked with JD(U) supremo Nitish for over five decades, in a letter.
He added that even though he has not renewed his membership, his commitment to the larger and wider ideological points concerning the interests of the downtrodden, peasants and agriculturalists, including the deprived sections of society, would remain as firm as ever. “My personal respect for Nitish Kumar, who remained my comrade for close to half a century, also remains unchanged. Few of my friends, political friends, sympathisers and activists are organising a meet of like-minded persons on 22 March, 2026 to discuss the political situation of the country at Mavlankar Hall, Rafi Marg.”
Tyagi said that further course of action will be decided soon in consultation with all required people. “However, we will continue to be inspired by the ideas & ideology of Bharat Ratna Shri Ch. Charan Singh Ji, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia ji, and Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur Ji.”
According to party sources, Tyagi’s decision is a result of Nitish’s shift to the Upper House of Parliament.
“The chief minister has shifted to Rajya Sabha, and will no longer be active in Bihar politics. So, it makes little sense for people like Tyagi, who have been associated with him for decades, to continue now. Everyone knows that it is no longer the same JD(U), and after a BJP CM, things will change drastically,” a source told ThePrint.
Earlier, announcing his decision to shift to Rajya Sabha, Nitish had said his “relationship” with JD(U) and its workers would continue in the future as well. “The new government that will be formed will have my full cooperation and guidance,” he had written in a post on X.
“For more than two decades, you have consistently placed your trust and support in me, and it is on the strength of that trust that we have served Bihar and all of you with complete dedication. It was the power of your trust and support that has enabled Bihar today to present a new dimension of development and dignity. For this, I have expressed my gratitude to you many times in the past as well,” the chief minister had added.
Reacting to Nitish’s decision to move to Rajya Sabha, Tyagi had, previously in an interview with ThePrint, cited his [Nitish’s] old age and BJP’s repeated requests after decades of alliance give-and-take to have their own chief minister. He had also spoken at length on the party workers’ shock and sense of betrayal on Nitish shifting to Rajya Sabha, while maintaining that no leader could match Nitish’s clean record and stature across parties.
(Edited by Niyati Kothiyal)