New Delhi
Political leaders in India on Sunday (Jan 28) reacted to Janata Dal (United) President Nitish Kumar exiting the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar and rejoining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Kumar, the president of the JD(U), was appointed as the acting chief minister by the governor after tendering his resignation.
Citing sources from Bihar BJP, news agency ANI reported that CM Kumar and two deputy CMs from the BJP are likely to take oath later on Sunday. These developments come just months before the Lok Sabha election in India.
Click here to follow all updates on the political crisis in Bihar
The Grand Alliance in Bihar consists of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress, and other Left Parties. This is Kumar's fifth switch to a political alliance in a decade. During his tenure as CM, Kumar has several times switched between political alliances.
Politicians react
Reacting to Kumar's decision to dump the Grand Alliance, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said he knew this would happen.
"Earlier, he and we were fighting together. When I talked to Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, they also said that Nitish is going. If he (Nitish) wanted to stay, he would have stayed but he wants to go. That's why we already knew this, but to keep the INDIA bloc intact, if we say something wrong, the wrong message will be sent," Kharge said.
#WATCH | Jalpaiguri, West Bengal | Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh says, "It is not surprising that Nitish Kumar has resigned. He is a seasoned politician. He has been a Chief Minister for several years. But he keeps changing his political… pic.twitter.com/fRB0TTBLM8
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2024
"It is not surprising that Nitish Kumar has resigned. He is a seasoned politician. He has been a chief minister for several years. But he keeps changing his political colours. He gives a tough challenge to chameleons. People of Bihar will give a befitting reply to him and to those who are making him dance from Delhi," Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh said.
RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari speaking to ANI said, "What was left with him? The public is the master. It watches everything and it will demand an account for everything...".
#WATCH | On INDIA alliance and Bihar political situation, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad says, " If the main man (Nitish Kumar) behind this alliance says so, then there was no future (for INDIA alliance). There is no vacancy for the Prime Ministerial post. BJP will have a historic… pic.twitter.com/fdaCiw270B
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2024
"If the main man (Nitish Kumar) behind this alliance says so, then there was no future (for INDIA alliance). There is no vacancy for the Prime Ministerial post. BJP will have a historic win in Lok Sabha polls and in Bihar we will win the whole 40 seats," former Union minister and BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad told the news agency.
Also read | BJP appoints state election in-charges for Lok Sabha polls
Hitting out at the Congress, JD(U) leader KC Tyagi said that the grand old party wanted to steal the leadership of the INDIA alliance. "Congress kept dragging the seat sharing, we kept saying that seat sharing needs to happen immediately...INDIA lacked plans to fight against BJP," he said.
‘I was hurt, left INDIA bloc’
After submitting his resignation, Nitish Kumar said he was hurt and hence left the INDIA bloc.
"The situation came to this pass as the state of affairs within the ruling alliance (Mahagathbandhan) in Bihar was not good. I sought the advice and opinions of everyone before coming to this decision. I took all opinions and suggestions to hear," Kumar told reporters
Hitting out at the RJD, his earlier alliance, whose leader Tejashwi Yadav was the deputy CM, Kumar said, "The alliance was sailing through choppy waters. Though we came together on the basis of a common minimum programme and promises to people, we failed to live up to the expectations and discharge our salient duties. Eventually, we fell out and even stopped being on speaking terms."
(With inputs from agencies)