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Patna, July 27: A few hours after submitting his resignation, Janata Dal United’s (JDU) supremo Nitish Kumar will take oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar on Thursday for the sixth time. According to reports, Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi will administer oath to Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister of Bihar at 10 am. Reportedly, Sushil Modi will be sworn-in as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) extended support to Nitish, shortly after he broke himself free from the mahagathbandhan which includes the Congress and the Rashstriya Janata Dal. BJP’s legislative council leader in the state, Sushil Kumar Modi, confirmed their decision to support the JD(U). “I called Nitish ji and told him that BJP is ready to support you. Have informed about the decision to the Governor as well,” said Sushil Modi. (ALSO READ: Nitish Kumar Resigns – As it Happened)
Nitish Kumar submitted his resignation on Wednesday after chairing the JD(U) legislature party meet over the RJD’s muted response on corruption charges against Tejashwi Yadav. “From my side, I never wanted to break the grand alliance. I wanted them to either make him (Tejashwi) resign, or explain the charges in the public. But since, there was no explanation on the charges, it was difficult for us to continue,” the former CM reportedly said.
#TopStory #NitishKumar to take oath as #Bihar Chief Minister at 10 am today, Sushil Modi to be sworn in as Deputy CM. pic.twitter.com/OS5cqXvbhc
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2017
Tejashwi Yadav Meets Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi
Earlier on Wednesday late night, Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had invited Tejashwi Yadav and five other RJD MLAs for discussion.
Tagging Nitish Kumar’s resignation and the developments following it as pre-planned, Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday said that they have requested Bihar Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi to stall the swearing-in ceremony and give the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) a chance to prove majority on the floor. (ALSO READ: Conscience Pricked Me, Impossible For Me To Work In This Situation)
“Each development seemed planned. It was all pre-decided. Why was everything done in such rush? His resignation, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) backing him, and staking claim to form government within hours of resignation, proves it,” Tejashwi said, after meeting the Governor.
Reiterating his party’s stand, Tejashwi said, he was only an excuse for Nitish to join hands with the BJP. “Tejashwi ek bahaana tha, case, investigation ek bahana tha, inko (Nitish) BJP ke sath jana tha,” Tejashwi told ANI.
PM Modi Praises Nitish Kumar
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Nitish Kumar for his decision to resign as Bihar Chief Minister in a tweet. Terming Kumar’s decision as valorous step in fight against corruption, Modi tweeted, “1.25 crore people are welcoming and supporting his honesty. For the bright future of the country, and especially Bihar, it is the need of the hour to rise above political differences and join the fight against corruption.”
Later, Nitish Kumar thanked Modi for his support. He tweeted,“I thank the Prime Minister from the bottom of my heart for supporting the decision which I took.”
Lalu Prasad Questions Nitish Over ‘Murder Charge’
Retaliating to the corruption charges levelled against his son, Lalu said Nitish should not had sworn in as the chief minister, citing the murder charge against him. “Nitish is booked under section 302 of the IPC. If convicted, he would have to serve life in the prison. If there is such a serious charge against him, then why did he made himself the chief minister?”
Lalu also accused Nitish of betraying the mandate which people of Bihar had given to the grand alliance in the 2015 polls. He further questioned Nitish over his claims to create a “Sangh-mukt Bharat”. He said,“Nitish said he wanted to create a RSS-free India. Now, he himself has turned into a pawn into the hands of BJP-RSS.”
What the Numbers Say
JD(U) is the second-largest party in the Bihar legislative Assembly with 71 legislators. With support from 53 BJP MLAs, it would cross the majority mark of 122. Along with the BJP, its alliance partners (Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party) are also expected to join the coalition.
The Lalu Prasad-led RJD, however, would remain the single largest faction in Bihar Assembly with 80 legislators.
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