DARJEELING: Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday that parties in the INDIA bloc had expected that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would fight the BJP and its ideology till the very end. His reaction came just moments before Nitish Kumar announced his exit from the Mahagathbandhan creating a path for him to a possible return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Lashing out at Kumar, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said "It is quite clear that the prime minister and the BJP are scared of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and this political drama has been created to divert attention from it."
"Nitish Kumar, who frequently changes political partners, is giving tough competition to the chameleons in changing colours," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X.
The Congress leader said the people of Bihar will not forgive the "expert of this betrayal" and those who made them dance to their tunes.
"Nitish Kumar played an important role in the INDIA alliance. He called the first meeting of opposition parties in Patna on 18th June 2023. The second meeting was held in Bengaluru on 17th-18th July 2023. Then again on 31st August-1st September in Mumbai. He played a prominent role in all three meetings. So we expected that Nitish Kumar would fight the BJP and its ideology till the very end. In the coming two to three days, I don't know what will happen," he added.
The fast-changing political events in the state were triggered by a social media post from former CM and RJD chief Lalu Yadav's daughter, Rohini Acharya, in which she took a swipe at the JD(U) saying that while the 'socialist party' styles itself as progressive, its ideology shifts with the changing wind patterns.
The BJP, which was in government with Nitish's party before the latter switched sides to forge ties with RJD in 2022, and the JD(U) are holding separate meetings on Sunday. Arriving for the BJP meeting, party leader Ram Narayan Mandal said, "The meeting today would focus on expanding and strengthening our organisational presence in the state."
On the fate of the ruling grand alliance, he said, "I am not authorised to comment on that. Only our top leadership will articulate our position on the current situation in the state."
Meanwhile, adding to the intriguing turn of events in the state, JD(U) minister Sanjay Jha, who is considered a close aide of CM Nitish, did not come for the meeting at the chief minister's residence in his official vehicle.
It is the fourth time that Nitish switches sides. Earlier, in a fresh post, Rohini Acharya said her fight against 'communal forces' will continue till death."Our fight against the communal forces will continue till our last breath," she posted on X.
Nitish Kumar submitted his resignation to Governor Rajendra V Arlekar on Sunday morning. The governor accepted Kumar's resignation, and asked him to continue as caretaker CM till a new government is formed, they said. A new government with the support of the BJP is likely to be in place by the evening, according to sources.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
