‘State of affairs within wasn’t good’: Nitish after resigning as CM and dumping Mahagathbandhan

Patna: In his first reaction to the political turmoil after handing over his resignation letter to the Governor, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the state of affairs in the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance) formed one and a half years ago was ‘not good’.

“I resigned as chief minister and requested the Governor to dissolve the government. The situation came to this pass as the state of affairs within the ruling alliance in Bihar wasn’t good. I sought the advice and opinions of everyone before coming to this decision. I took all opinions and suggestions to heart. The government is being dissolved today,” Nitish told reporters on Sunday.

“The alliance, which was formed one and a half years ago, was sailing through choppy waters. Though we came together on the basis of a common minimum programme and promises to the people, we failed to live up to expectations and discharge our salient duties. Eventually, we fell out and even stopped being on speaking terms. I was left with no option but to sever all ties with the alliance,” the JD(U) supremo said, targeting RJD.

#WATCH | Patna | Bihar outgoing CM and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar says, “Today, I have resigned as the Chief Minister and I have also told the Governor to dissolve the government in the state. This situation came because not everything was alright…I was getting views from… pic.twitter.com/wOVGFJSKKH

— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2024

The official handle of Raj Bhavan of Bihar on X posted that the Governor asked Nitish to discharge his administrative duties as the acting chief minister till a new government takes shape.

“Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and asked him to act as acting Chief Minister until alternative arrangements are made,” the Governor’s office at Raj Bhawan posted on X.

माननीय राज्यपाल श्री राजेंद्र विश्वनाथ आर्लेकर @rajendraarlekar ने माननीय मुख्यमंत्री श्री नीतीश कुमार का त्यागपत्र स्वीकार किया तथा वैकल्पिक व्यवस्था होने तक उन्हें कार्यवाहक मुख्यमंत्री के रूप में कार्य करने को कहा। pic.twitter.com/t5mo95pYKp

— Raj Bhavan, Bihar (@GovernorBihar) January 28, 2024

Responding to the political quake in the state, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh posted from his official X handle, “Nitish Kumar is giving a tough competition to chameleons when it comes to changing his political stripes and partners. The people will not forgive this betrayal and those who took them for a ride. It’s quite evident that the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and the BJP are scared of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and this political drama was enacted to shift public attention away from it.”

बार-बार राजनीतिक साझेदार बदलने वाले नीतीश कुमार रंग बदलने में गिरगिटों को कड़ी टक्कर दे रहे हैं।

इस विश्वासघात के विशेषज्ञ और उन्हें इशारों पर नचाने वालों को बिहार की जनता माफ़ नहीं करेगी।

बिलकुल साफ़ है की भारत जोड़ो न्याय यात्रा से प्रधानमंत्री और भाजपा घबराए हुए हैं और उससे… https://t.co/v47tQ8ykaw

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 28, 2024

Nitish Kumar arrived at the Raj Bhavan in Patna and handed over his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar earlier on Sunday.

Calling on the Governor at Raj Bhavan, Nitish told him, “We have decided to sever ties with the Mahagathbandhan in the state”.

The development comes amid a deafening buzz that Nitish would rejoin the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), bringing an end to the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ rule in the state.

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.

If Nitish crosses over, it would mark the fourth time that he would be switching sides.