Nitish Kumar Should Be Conferred With ‘Girgit Ratna’ For Changing Colours At Will: Tej Pratap Yadav

Nitish Kumar should be honoured with 'Girgit' (chameleon) Ratna for his ability to change colours at will, RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav said.

Bihar Politics: RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Sunday took a dig at former ally Nitish Kumar, dubbing him as “Paltis Kumar (one who switches sides at the drop of a hat)” and said the Bihar Chief Minister should be “honoured” with ‘Girgit’ (Chameleon) Ratna award for proclivity to change political loyalties at the speed of light.

“Chameleon is infamous for changing their skin …Paltis Kumar should also be honoured with Chameleon Ratna award for frequently changing his political loyalty and for his speed of changing colours at the speed of light”, Yadav posted in Hindi on his X handle.

“गिरगिट” तो बस यूँ ही बदनाम है..! रंग बदलने की रफ़्तार से तो पलटिस कुमार को भी “गिरगिट रत्न“ से सम्मानित करना चाहिए।

— Tej Pratap Yadav (@TejYadav14) January 28, 2024

Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad was minister in the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (DEFCC) in the Mahagathbandhan government.

Meanwhile, in a much harsher reaction to Nitish’s volte-face, Tej Pratap’s younger brother and former Bihar deputy chief minister, Tejashwi Yadav lashed out at Kumar after the Janata Dal (United) chief severed ties with the Mahagathbandhan and joined the BJP-led NDA to form a new coalition government in Bihar.

Tejashwi, who until Sunday, was the Deputy Chief Minister in the Mahagathbandhan government, asserted that the “game has only begun” and Kumar’s JD(U) will be “finished” by the end of 2024 and will cease to exist as a party.

‘Game has just begun’

“Khel abhi shuru hua hai, khel abhi baki hain (the game has only begun, it’s far from over)” the RJD-scion said in an ominous tone as he launched a scathing attack against his former ally Kumar while hinting at more political developments in the state.

“The game is yet to begin,” Yadav added.

हम जो कहते है वो करते है। खेल तो अब शुरू हुआ है। #Bihar #TejashwiYadav pic.twitter.com/5RmTTLkhA5

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) January 28, 2024

He also said that Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) will be “finished” by the end of this year.

“What I say, I do…I can give you in writing that the JDU party will be finished in 2024. The public is with us…” Yadav said, according to news agency ANI.

However, Tejashwi maintained that Nitish Kumar is and will be ‘respectable’.

“I want to thank the BJP that it got ready to induct his party (JDU) in their alliance,” the former Deputy CM said in a sarcastic tone.

Nitish’s volte-face

In a dramatic turn which changed the entire landscape of Bihar politics and shook the foundations of the opposition INDIA bloc ahead of Lok Sabha polls, JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar Sunday took oath as the Chief Minister of the state for a record ninth time after he ditched the Mahagathbandhan and the opposition bloc INDIA and forming a new government with the BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago.

Kumar was sworn in by Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar at Raj Bhavan in the presence of senior leaders including BJP national president J P Nadda, hours after he resigned from the post, saying “things were not working well” for him in the Grand Alliance and the opposition bloc.

BJP leaders — Samrat Choudhary and former Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha- were among those who took oath of office. The two are named as Deputy Chief Ministers.

(With inputs from agencies)