As Nitish Kumar resigns, Minister assures BJP won't allow jungle raj in Bihar, RJD says public is the master

Soon after Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar resigned from his post as the Bihar Chief Minister on January 28, reactions from the other parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) poured in. With his resignation, Kumar has exited the 28-party Opposition bloc INDIA and is all set to form a coalition with the BJP.

Following his move, Union Minister and BJP MP Giriraj Singh thanked him while RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari steered a jibe at him saying “the public is the master.”

BJP’s Giriraj Singh said. "Whatever be his (Nitish Kumar’s) compulsion, Bihar was perplexed if there was a Jungle Raj 2-like situation in 1.5 years. Had Tejashwi Yadav sat on the seat (CM position), it would have been very difficult...I was concerned about just one thing. I was apprehensive that with the kind of pressure Lalu Yadav was putting on him for the 'tajposhi' of Tejashwi - Bihar would have had a jungle raj again. It is free of this now. BJP won't allow jungle raj in Bihar..."

Mrityunjay Tiwari of RJD, Lalu Yadav's party and JD(U)’s former alliance partner, asserted that the public is the master and it watches everything. "What was left with him? Public is the master. It watches everything and it will demand an account for everything...The work done by Tejashwi Yadav - janata ke beech jayenge aur NDA ki naav, Nitish ki naav dubayenge..."

Jharkhand BJP chief and former state chief minister Babulal Marandi, meanwhile told PTI, that the political turn of events in Bihar was expected. He said he wonders how a “seasoned and honest politician” like Nitish Kumar continued so long with the Mahagathbandhan.

Taking a dig at RJD supremo Prasad, Marandi said "nature and signature of a person doesn't change" and Nitish Kumar could realise this after such a long time. "Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad are poles apart. One is synonymous with corruption and Nitish Ji is one of the few leaders in the country who is known for his honesty. Neither he is engaged in corruption nor in promoting dynastic patronage politics. In contrast, Lalu Prasad is neck-deep in corruption and dynastic politics," he said.

The remarks come against the backdrop of JD(U) president resigning as the Chief Minister of Bihar, saying "things were not working well" for him in the Mahagathbandhan he had joined less than 18 months ago and the opposition bloc INDIA.

Talking to reporters here after submitting his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Kumar, who is likely to form a new government with the support of the BJP, said: "If the parties which were with me earlier agree to come together, you will get to know what happens next".