As political tensions intensify with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tendering his resignation to Governor Rajendra V Arlekar, an old video of him saying ‘would rather die than go to NDA’ has surfaced online and grabbed the attention of many. In a video dated back in 2023, Nitish Kumar is seen saying ‘Mar jaana qabool hai lekin unke saath jaana humko kabhi qabool nahin hai.’ Within a year of saying he would rather die than join BJP-led NDA alliance, Nitish Kumar is set to return to the alliance once again.
In the recent development, Governor has accepted Nitish Kumar’s resignation and asked him to continue as caretaker CM till a new government is formed.
Reports suggest that lack of coordination within the INDIA bloc, particularly with Congress is the primary reason behind Nitish Kumar’s switch. JD(U) criticized the Congress for delaying seat-sharing talks and not projecting Nitish Kumar as the leader of the opposition alliance. In one of the INDIA bloc meetings, Nitish felt sidelined because he was not named as the coordinator of the alliance.
The grand alliance that came together to combat Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls was a result of Nitish Kumar, who was a key architect of the anti-BJP alliance. The Bihar CM had initiated efforts to bring all anti-BJP forces together. However, observing the shift and Congress taking center stage sidelined Kumar further.
The speculations of a rift started with Kumar’s decision last year to take over as the JD(U) president, by cutting short the tenure of Lalan Singh, which was seen as a determined effort by him to take firm control of its organization.
The BJP has the largest number of 17 MPs in Bihar, where the total number of Lok Sabha members is 40. The JD(U), headed by Nitish Kumar, has 16 while another NDA ally LJP, now split up between the uncle-nephew duo of Pashupati Kumar Paras and Chirag Paswan, has six.
With Nitish Kumar switching sides again, the alliance will collapse, leading to the formation of a new government in the state.
(With agency inputs)
