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HomePoliticsDramatic Tuesday in Bihar as Nitish Kumar leaves BJP again; stakes claim...

Dramatic Tuesday in Bihar as Nitish Kumar leaves BJP again; stakes claim to new govt with RJD

State BJP says Kumar betrayed the party and people of Bihar; SP chief Akhilesh Yadav feels the resignation sends out a ‘BJP Bhagaon’ message to citizens.

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New Delhi: As the cracks between Bihar alliance partners Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party became increasingly unbridgeable, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulled the plug Tuesday and walked straight to the Opposition camp to work out the math for the next government in the state.

Kumar’s disenchantment with the BJP had long-festered, stemming from a feeling of being undermined by the national party. He has also clashed with his alliance partner over various issues, including the Citizen Amendment Act, caste census and population laws.

Tuesday was dramatic. A pre-planned meeting of all JD(U) MLAs and MPs was held in Kumar’s Patna home in the morning, paralleled by one within the main Opposition, the Rashtriya Janata Dal – at party leader Rabri Devi’s residence. Her son Tejashwi chaired it.

The BJP also met at Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishor Prasad’s house as it became evident Nitish Kumar would leave their National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

After the JD(U) meeting, and armed with the mandate to leave, Nitish Kumar met governor Phagu Chauhan and put in his papers.

JDU’s National Parliamentary Board President Upendra Kushwaha immediately congratulated Nitish Kumar for the “leadership of a new alliance in a new form”.

Nitish Kumar met the Governor around 4 pm to tender his resignation. Following which Kumar said, “All MPs & MLAs reached a consensus that we should leave NDA. I resigned as Bihar CM.”

After his resignation, Nitish Kumar visited Rabri Devi house in Patna. Later, he and Tejashwi Yadav were seen leaving together.

After Kumar left the BJP, the party’s Bihar chief Sanjay Jaiswal called it a “betrayal”. He said, “We fought the 2020 polls together under the NDA. The mandate was for the JD(U) and BJP. We won more seats but in spite of that, Nitish Kumar was made the CM. What happened today is a betrayal of Bihar’s people and the BJP.”

Nitish Kumar left his long-time ally for the first time in 2013 – to protest Narendra Modi being made the party’s prime ministerial candidate. He then joined the RJD and the Congress to form a grand alliance or ‘mahagathbandhan’ for the 2015 Assembly elections. The alliance defeated the BJP, and Kumar was sworn in as chief minister.

But two years on — after the Central Bureau of Investigation slapped corruption cases against RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and son Tejaswhi Yadav — Kumar demanded that Tejashwi resign from his Cabinet, but Lalu put his foot down.

Underlining his “zero tolerance to corruption policy”, Kumar resigned as chief minister only to be made leader again within hours by the BJP, to helm the government for the remainder of the term.

In the next Assembly elections in 2020, Nitish Kumar returned as chief minister of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance with 125 MLAs, while the Opposition’s ‘mahagathbandhan’ got 110 seats.

But in 2020, the JD(U) got 43 seats, down from 71 in 2015, while the BJP got 74, up by 21.

The meeting with the Yadavs Tuesday signifies that Kumar may strike up an alliance again with the RJD and possibly the Congress.

Kumar has been the Bihar chief minister since 2005 — barring from May 2014 to February 2015, when Jitan Ram Manjhi headed the state.

As of today, the 242-seat Bihar Assembly has the following party strengths –– RJD (79), BJP (77), JD(U) (45), Congress (19), CPIM-L (12),  HAM(S) (4), CPI (4), AIMIM (1) and Independent (1).

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said Tuesday that Nitish Kumar’s resignation gave a “BJP Bhagaon” message to people and parties. The Uttar Pradesh Opposition leader said : “On this day, the slogan of ‘Angrez Bharat Chhodo’ was floated. Today, it is ‘BJP Bhagaon’. Soon, other political parties and people in different states will stand up against the BJP.”

Later in the evening, Kumar submitted a list of MLAs to the Governor, who would support the new government.

Outside the Governor’s house, Nitish Kumar addressed a joint press conference with Tejashwi Yadav. He said: “There are 7 parties including 164 MLAs along with Independents in the (new) Mahagathbandahan. We staked a claim to form the new government. He will let us know when the oath-taking can take place.”

Tejashwi Yadav said: “Across the Hindi heartland, BJP does not have any alliance partner. History says that BJP destroys parties with which it allies. We saw that happen in Punjab and Maharashtra.” It also became clear that Kumar would head the new government.

Nitish Kumar will take oath as CM at 4pm tomorrow, Tejashwi will be the deputy.


Also read: It’s official — Nitish calls it quits with ‘backs-stabber’ BJP, is back with RJD & Congress


 

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