JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, who took oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for a record ninth time on Sunday after a dramatic volte-face, asserted that there is now no question of him going anywhere else, leaving the NDA-fold.
Kumar was sworn in by Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar at Raj Bhavan here, hours after he resigned from the post, saying “things were not working well” for him in the Grand Alliance and the opposition bloc INDIA.
“I was with them (NDA) earlier, too. We went on different paths, but now we are together and will remain so… I came back to where I was (NDA), and now there is no question of going anywhere else, the 72-year-old leader told reporters after taking oath as the CM.
He said a total of eight people took oath on Sunday as ministers, and names of the remaining ones will be decided soon.
BJP leaders – Samrat Choudhary and former Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha – will be the deputy chief ministers, Kumar said.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Patna, BJP national president JP Nadda asserted that NDA will “sweep” the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
He also attacked the opposition bloc INDIA, saying it stands for “bhrashtachar bachao, parivar bachao( protect corruption and save the family).
He said the new NDA government headed by Nitish Kumar will make ‘Ujjwal Bihar.’
“The people of Bihar had given the mandate in the last assembly polls to our natural alliance with Nitish Kumar. Bihar has gained whenever we have been in power together, be it in terms of law and order or economic development,” he said.
He asserted that “Bihar will again see growth propelled by double engine, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm at the Centre”.
He also said, “We are confident that the NDA will sweep the Lok Sabha polls and win all the 40 seats in Bihar. We will also form the next government in the state after the assembly elections”.
First Published: Jan 28 2024 | 8:02 PM IST