NEW DELHI: Key National Democratic Alliance ally Nitish Kumar on Friday termed his party’s past tie ups with Lalu Prasad Yadav‘s Rashtriya Janata Dal a “mistake.” The comments came at an event where the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national president JP Nadda was also present.
Without taking any names, the Bihar chief minister said, “Those who were in power before me did nothing. It was a mistake on my part to have gone with them on two occasions.”
Nitish’s party, which had accused the BJP of “back-stabbing” when it broke its alliance with NDA in 2022, added, “But I do not wish to repeat that mistake.I shall stay here (with the NDA).”
Recalling his alliance with the saffron party, which has remained hot and cold for most of the part, Nitish said, “Our relationship goes back to the 1990s… all the good work in Bihar has been done under our stewardship.”
Earlier this year, Nitish marked his second major political reversal within 18 months and the fourth such instance in less than 11 years by breaking alliance with Mahagathbandhan and joing the NDA.
Nitish’s recent declaration of loyalty to the BJP, which has now lost its majority in the Lok Sabha and relies heavily on allies like JDU to maintain power at the Centre, follows closely on the heels of his meeting with his ex-ally RJD‘s Tejashwi Yadav.
Despite the JDU supremo’s clarification that his recent meeting was simply in his capacity as the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, a segment of the media is rife with speculation about yet another potential political U-turn by Nitish.
Without taking any names, the Bihar chief minister said, “Those who were in power before me did nothing. It was a mistake on my part to have gone with them on two occasions.”
Nitish’s party, which had accused the BJP of “back-stabbing” when it broke its alliance with NDA in 2022, added, “But I do not wish to repeat that mistake.I shall stay here (with the NDA).”
Recalling his alliance with the saffron party, which has remained hot and cold for most of the part, Nitish said, “Our relationship goes back to the 1990s… all the good work in Bihar has been done under our stewardship.”
Earlier this year, Nitish marked his second major political reversal within 18 months and the fourth such instance in less than 11 years by breaking alliance with Mahagathbandhan and joing the NDA.
Nitish’s recent declaration of loyalty to the BJP, which has now lost its majority in the Lok Sabha and relies heavily on allies like JDU to maintain power at the Centre, follows closely on the heels of his meeting with his ex-ally RJD‘s Tejashwi Yadav.
Despite the JDU supremo’s clarification that his recent meeting was simply in his capacity as the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, a segment of the media is rife with speculation about yet another potential political U-turn by Nitish.