RJD leader and Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, on Wednesday congratulated newly sworn-in Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary while also sharply criticising the NDA government’s long tenure in the state.
Choudhary, a BJP leader, took oath as Chief Minister of Bihar earlier in the day.
In a post on X, Yadav said, “Congratulations to Shri Samrat Chaudhary ji on fulfilling his pledge today to remove the Elected Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar ji from the throne, and heartfelt best wishes on becoming the Selected Chief Minister.” He added that despite 21 years of NDA rule, Bihar continues to lag on key development indicators, citing NITI Aayog benchmarks in areas such as education, healthcare, law and order, income, employment, poverty reduction, and overall human development.
Yadav further expressed hope that the new government would work towards Bihar’s progress and welfare while safeguarding the state’s interests. He also urged the new leadership to focus on development, peace, and prosperity, and said Bihar’s dignity should not be compromised.
“I hope that the new Selected Chief Minister Shri Samrat Chaudhary ji… will work powerfully and will not pawn the pride of Biharis to the directions of outsiders,” his post added.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Chirag Paswan congratulated Choudhary and said the NDA would work collectively under his leadership to accelerate Bihar’s development and meet public expectations, particularly under what he described as a youth-driven leadership.
Speaking to ANI in Patna, Paswan said, “I congratulate Samrat Choudhary. Under his leadership, we will all work together to take the state forward towards making Bihar a developed state. I assure the public that we will meet their expectations from this government, which has youth leadership.”
He also noted that implementing the Women’s Reservation Bill would require delimitation, after which assembly seats would be increased and reservations allocated accordingly.
(With inputs from ANI)