"Congress wanted to steal...": JD(U)'s KC Tyagi after Nitish returns to saffron embrace

New Delhi [India], January 28 : After Nitish Kumar resigned as Bihar chief minister, confirming rumours of his exit from the ruling Mahagathbandhan and the INDIA bloc, JD(U) KC Tyagi on Sunday accused the Congress of wanting to steal and appropriate the mantle of leadership of the Opposition alliance.
The Bloc, which brought together 28 Opposition forces from across the country, was founded on the common objective of defeating the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Nitish's resignation as Bihar CM is also being seen as a big blow to the INDIA bloc, coming as it did barely months ahead of the general elections and at a time when the alliance is seemingly coming apart over rising differences and divergent positions over seat-sharing.
Weighing in on Nitish's latest political pivot and the big churn at the hustings in Bihar, senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi, said, "Congress wanted to steal the leadership of INDIA bloc. In the meeting that took place on December 19, a conspiracy was hatched to appropriate the leadership of INDIA bloc, as Mallikarjun Kharge's name was proposed (as PM)."
"Earlier, in the meeting in Mumbai, it was unanimously decided that the bloc carry its principal agenda forward without naming a PM face. However, as part of a well-thought-out plan, (West Bengal CM and TMC chief) Mamata Banerjee proposed Kharge's name as PM (with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal seconding it). Many of the Opposition parties of today carved out their individual identities after uncoupling themselves from the Congress. While we pressed for seat-sharing talks at the earliest, the Congress kept dragging their feet and delaying it. INDIA failed to come up with a definite plan or roadmap to fight the BJP," Tyagi said.
Meanwhile, the BJP welcomed the move of the JD(U) supremo to exit the Opposition alliances at the state and Centre and return to the saffron fold.
"We welcome Nitish Kumar's decision. We knew that the RJD-JDU alliance was an unnatural one and would not last long. We are happy and the JDU and BJP will together form the government now. I hope that the new government will be formed in the next 2-3 hours," BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi said.
Earlier, in his first reaction to the political turmoil after handing over his resignation letter to the Governor, Nitish Kumar said the state of affairs in the 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) formed one and a half years ago was 'not good'.
"I resigned as chief minister and requested the Governor to dissolve the government. The situation came to this pass as the state of affairs within the ruling alliance in Bihar wasn't good. 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," Nitish told reporters after walking out of the Raj Bhavan.
The fast-changing political events in the state were triggered by a social media post from former CM and RJD chief Lalu Yadav's daughter, Rohini Acharya, in which she took a swipe at the JD(U) saying that while the 'socialist party' styles itself as progressive, its ideology shifts with the changing wind patterns.
If Nitish crosses over, it would mark the fourth time that he would be switching sides.
Meanwhile, reacting to Nitish's saffron shift, Lalu Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya posted on X, "The trash has been consigned to the dustbin."