"Double-engine govt will ensure development in Bihar," says Nityanand Rai
Jan 29, 2024
Patna (Bihar) [India], January 29 : A day after Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Bihar Chief Minister for the ninth time as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said that the 'double-engine' government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would ensure development in the state.
"Bihar will progress with a new energy and new resolve. Under the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) government in Bihar, criminals were being protected and the development work was hindered. So when Nitish Kumarji kept the proposal before us, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accepted it," Rai said.
"The double-engine government will ensure development in the state," he added.
Taking a swipe at the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Nityanand Rai said, "Their game is over. They have nothing to speak about. They are the people who misuse power for the sake of their families."
JDU leader Nitish Kumar's move to end his alliance with the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal to revive his tie-up with the BJP comes as a massive setback to the INDIA bloc months before it takes on the formidable BJP in Lok Sabha polls.
Nitish Kumar, after parting ways with the BJP in 2022, took on the initiative of uniting all opposition forces to jointly take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling party in the national election.
Nitish Kumar took the oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for the ninth time in Raj Bhawan, Patna, switching sides again, this time with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
It was for the second time in two years that Nitish Kumar had jumped the ship, his fifth crossover in a little over a decade.
Two Deputy CMs from the BJP, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and six other ministers, including Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Santosh Kumar Suman, Shrawan Kumar, and others, also took the oath on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc is already trying to combat its inner differences after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann announced that they would go solo in their respective states in the Lok Sabha polls.
