PATNA: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday casually tossed the LJP bomb onto the BJP’s lap, saying it was for them to decide on the fate of Chirag Paswan’s party, whose demolitoion job reduced the JD(U) to third position in the recent Assembly polls.
Chirag had dropped out of the state NDA weeks before polling to attack Nitish’s party but chosen to stay with the central NDA, saying he wanted to strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hands.
“It is up to the BJP to look into this. We are analysing as how the votes were divided on the seats of our candidates. Both the NDA and the JD(U) are studying it,” he said.
Addressing his first press meet after the polls, Nitish said the government formation process will be discussed at an NDA meet on Friday. The date of the swearing-in will be finalised in the next few days.
A day after Modi’s endorsement of him continuing as the chief minister, Nitish sought to weave out of a question on whether he wanted to head the NDA government again.
Claiming that he never projected himself as the chief minister, Nitish said: “It is up to the NDA to decide. We will abide by its decision.”
Rebutting RJD leader Tejashawi Yadav’s allegation that the mandate was snatched away by the NDA through manipulation, Nitish said it was the NDA that got the mandate.
Seeking to bring closure to the debate on his recent one-liner that this election was his last, he said: “I will continue serving the people as long as they would want.”Nitish said he will resign after the NDA legislative party meeting to pave the way for the installation of the next government. “The tenure of this government is till Nov 29. In the next few days, every thing will be cleared and completed.”