Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dialled and congratulated Nitish Kumar ahead of his resignation as the Bihar chief minister, as per media reports. Nitish Kumar on Sunday junked the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar, comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, by resigning as the chief minister. He is expected to return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
PM Modi conveyed his wishes to the JD(U) chief before he left for Raj Bhavan, News18 reported citing sources. Nitish Kumar is set to exit the 28-party Opposition bloc, INDIA, and then form a coalition government with the BJP, as per reports that emerged on Saturday.
Also read: Nitish Kumar resigns as Bihar CM as ‘not everything was alright’, to return to BJP-led NDA
The BJP is likely to submit its ‘Letter of Support’ to JDU and CM Nitish Kumar by 12 pm. The oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place at 4 pm.
Also read: Nitish Kumar set to resign as Bihar CM again? When and what is expected to happen amid JDU-NDA alliance buzz
After resigning as the Bihar chief minister, Nitish Kumar said, “We have decided to sever ties with the mahagathbandhan in the state.”
Nitish Kumar is most likely to take oath as CM for the ninth time on Sunday but this time, the JD(U) may form government with the new NDA cabinet, according to reports. Over Nitish Kumar’s resignation, Congress compared the JD(U) chief to a “chameleon” and said people of state will never forgive his betrayal.
Also read: Bihar politics news: Nitish Kumar seeks time to meet Governor, Mahagathbandhan leaders huddle | 10 points
Nitish Kumar said, “Things were not working out well, therefore I had to resign.” Nitish Kumar said his resignation was prompted by the unfavourable state of affairs within the ruling alliance in Bihar.
He further added, “ I sought the advice and opinions of everyone before coming to this decision. I took all opinions and suggestions to heart. The government is being dissolved today,” reported ANI.
Also read: Nitish Kumar’s first reaction after resigning as Bihar CM: ‘I left INDIA alliance…’
The Governor’s office at Raj Bhawan in a social media post on X stated, “Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and asked him to act as acting Chief Minister until alternative arrangements are made.”
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, while emphasising that Nitish Kumar played an important role in the INDIA bloc, said, “So we expected that Nitish Kumar would fight the BJP and its ideology till the very end. In the coming two to three days, I don’t know what will happen,” he added.
Also read: Why Nitish Kumar cannot be ignored by INDIA or BJP ahead of Lok Sabha Polls 2024
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that he knew it would happen and added, “There are many people in the country like ‘Aaya Ram-Gaya Ram,’ reported ANI. Mallikarjun Kharge further added, “Earlier he and us were fighting together. When I talked to Lalu Ji and Tejashwi, they also said that Nitish is going,” reported ANI.
(With agency inputs)
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Published: 28 Jan 2024, 12:56 PM IST