'INDIA Bloc Distracted, Not Working': Nitish Kumar's 1st Reaction After Quitting as Bihar CM

Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday resigned from the top post of Bihar’s chief minister. After submitting his resignation, Kumar told reporters that he is no longer a part of the INDIA bloc.

Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar accepted Kumar’s resignation and asked him to be the acting Chief Minister until alternative arrangements are made.

“The mahagathbandhan is finished. I have listened to suggestions of all. The situation was not good in grand alliance. Now, if our erstwhile partners (BJP) join us, we’ll proceed. We tried to make INDIA bloc but it was not working,” Kumar told reporters after quitting.

WHY DID NITISH RESIGN?

The JD(U) chief said that the alliance he formed a year and a half back was also not in a good condition. “So today we have submitted the resignation… now we are separate. So if all the parties that were there earlier, they come together and decide then you will come to know about it,” Kumar said.

Taking a swipe at the “distracted” opposition alliance, he said “no work was getting done in the INDIA bloc”.

According to Kumar this situation came about because “not everything was alright”. “…I was getting views from everyone. I listened to all of them. Today, the Government has been dissolved…,” he told the media.

Meanwhile, the saffron party’s in-charge of the state of Bihar for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Vinod Tawde took to the microblogging site X and said that “As Nitish Kumar resigns, Bihar BJP legislature party has called for a meeting, which will take place after PM’s Mann Ki Baat and will review recent developments in the state and decide further course of action.”

REACTIONS FROM POLITICAL LEADERS

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Mrityunjay Tiwari critically slammed Nitish Kumar saying “paltimaar rajneeti” is back and nobody would trust the JD(U) chief ever again.

Tiwari said that Tejwashi Yadav will now form the government and win all 40 seats of the state.

Meanwhile, Congress’ leader Jairam Ramesh compared Nitish Kumar to a “chameleon”. In a post on X, the grand-old party’s leader wrote, “Nitish Kumar, who frequently changes political partners, is giving tough competition to the chameleons in changing colours.”

Ramesh said that such “experts of betrayal” won’t be forgiven by the people of Bihar.

Union Minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh on the other hand thanked Nitish Kumar putting an end to ‘jungle raj’. “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 difficult…,” Singh added.

“…I was apprehensive that with the kind of pressure that Lalu Yadav was putting on him for the ‘tajposhi’ of Tejashwi – Bihar would have had a jungle raj again. It is free of this now. BJP won’t allow jungle raj in Bihar,” the Union Minister said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, as a reaction to the Bihar CM’s resignation, posted on X and took a jibe at Nitish Kumar and BJP.

Chaturvedi wrote, “Dying is acceptable, going with them is not acceptable. Know this well!” Nitish Kumar. “Her post further read, ““Palturam has insulted the mandate” “Hey Paltu Babu, please be considerate.” “I pray to Chhath Maiya that Bihar be free from Paltu Ram.” “BJP’s doors closed for Nitish Kumar” Amit Shah.”

Congress’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge said that there are many ‘Aaya Ram-Gaya Ram’ kind of people in the country. Taking to X, Kharge said that RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav had said that Nitish Kumar might leave the alliance. “When I talked to Lalu ji and Tejashwi ji, they also said that Nitish is going.”

“If he wanted to stay, he would have stayed but he wants to go. Therefore, we already knew this, but we did not say anything to keep the India alliance intact. If we say something wrong, the wrong message will be sent. Lalu Prasad Yadav ji and Tejashwi Yadav ji had already given us this information. Today it became true,” Kharge added.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

A meeting between all the Bihar legislative leaders of BJP and JD(U) took place after Nitish Kumar submitted his resignation to the Governor.

In the aftermath of the meeting, Kumar stands elected as the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) leader in the state of Bihar.

Meanwhile, as per sources in BJP, party leaders Vijay Sinha and Samrat Choudhury will take charge as deputy chief ministers of Bihar.

Calling it an “emotional moment,” Choudhary thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar’s party MLAs for “showing faith” in him.

“Jungle Raj will end,” Choudhary said, adding that the party had vowed to win all 40 seats the upcoming general elections.

NITISH’S 4TH SHIFT IN LAST 10 YEARS & WHERE DOES KARPOORI’S BHARAT RATNA COME IN?

The JD(U) chief’s perceived insult at the last INDIA meeting may have proved to be the last straw for Nitish Kumar to contemplate jump ship to the BJP, sources said.

The JD(U) also had an issue with the importance being given in the INDIA bloc to certain leaders, like Sitaram Yechury and Mallikarjun Kharge, over the likes of Kumar who has been a multiple-time Chief Minister.

Kumar’s latest statement on dynasty politics, which seemed to be an attack on his ally RJD, and his public gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a Bharat Ratna to socialist icon Karpoori Thakur acted as clear indicators that Kumar is keen to return to the BJP fold.

The BJP and the JD(U) have been old partners and despite the bitterness since their last split, Kumar is aware that his party can get a good count in Lok Sabha in Bihar if it allies with the BJP.

The JD(U) had won 16 Lok Sabha seats in alliance with the BJP in 2019, while it won two seats in 2014 when it had contested separately from the BJP.