"Nitish Kumar has one option left...": Giriraj Singh
Dec 29, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 29 : Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Giriraj Singh on Friday said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will not be able to hold the post, claiming that he (Kumar) only has one option left in front of him.
Speaking to ANI, the union minister said that the Bihar CM has been left with only one option, that is to 'promote' RJD chief Lalu Yadav's son and state Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav.
"This is certain that he is the CM of Bihar for some days. Now he has only one option- to surrender before Lalu Yadav and let Tejashwi Yadav be the new CM, otherwise Lalu Yadav is a master at creating division in parties and forming his government...," Singh said.
However, amid the buzz of Nitish Kumar returning to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the minister said that all the doors of the BJP are closed for the Bihar CM.
"What is the big deal? Nitish Kumar has dismissed party presidents in the past as well...The doors of the BJP are closed for Nitish Kumar," he added.
Earlier on Thursday, invoking the major controversy around the Bihar CM's much-derided remarks on birth control on the floor of the Assembly during the Winter Session, Singh said a leader in his mental state should resign forthwith from the post of chief minister.
"All doors for Nitish Kumar's return to the NDA are closed. The person who makes such derogatory remarks about women in the Assembly should step down from the post of chief minister immediately. Given his current mental condition, he is not fit to hold the post," Singh told ANI on Thursday.
Nitish walked out of the 'Mahagathbandhan' coalition in 2017 to partner with the NDA.
However, in August, last year, he broke ties with the BJP a second time, resigning as Bihar CM just. He formed a new government after joining hands with the RJD and returned as chief minister.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav took oath as his deputy.
With months to go for the Lok Sabha polls, the Janata Dal (United) Friday saw a change at its helm as the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was unanimously re-elected as President of the party at a meeting of the party's national executive in Delhi.
Later, speaking to reporters after the party's national council meeting in Delhi, he said that he has accepted the post of the national president of the party.
"I have accepted the post of the national president of the party..." he said.
It came after Rajiv Ranjan Singh, popularly known as Lalan Singh, resigned from the post.
It is not the first time when Nitish Kumar has taken over as the president of the party. In 2016, he became party president after replacing Sharad Yadav. A year later, Kumar broke the ruling alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and joined hands with the BJP.
Last year, Nitish Kumar ended his five-year-long association with the BJP again and reunited with the RJD.
Later, JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi rejected rumours of a tiff between the two leaders.
"Our party remains united, there are no differences between Nitish Kumar and Lalan Singh," he said.
"Four proposals were passed including a political caste-based census at the national level. In January, Nitish Kumar will start a campaign starting from Jharkhand. He authorised to negotiate with allies for seat sharing agreement," Tyagi said.
Tyagi further called the Bihar CM the 'prime minister of ideas' of the Opposition bloc INDIA- an alliance forged for putting up a united front against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls under the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance umbrella.
"(Bihar CM) Nitish Kumar is the convenor and Prime Minister of the ideas of the INDIA alliance. He has given so much priority to the issue of social justice," Tyagi said.
Earlier, Bihar Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary confirmed the offer of resignation from Lalan Singh saying "There is a national executive meeting of JD(U) going on. If they accept our proposal, then Nitish Kumar will be the party president. Lalan Singh told CM Nitish Kumar that he will be busy with elections, so he wants to hand over the post of party president to him and Nitish Kumar accepted it..."