Mallikarjun Kharge on Nitish Kumar's exit from Mahagathbandhan
Kalaburagi (Karnataka): After Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar resigned from the CM's post today, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that he knew it would happen, adding "There are many people in the country like 'Aaya Ram-Gaya Ram'.
"Earlier he and us were fighting together. When I talked to Lalu Ji and Tejashwi, they also said that Nitish is going. If he wanted to stay, he would have stayed but he wants to go. That's why we already knew this, but to keep the India Alliance intact, if we say something wrong, the wrong message will be sent. This information was already given to us by Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav. Today that came true. There are many people in the country like 'Aaya Ram-Gaya Ram'," Kharge said.
Meanwhile, Janata Dal (United) national president Nitish Kumar arrived at the Raj Bhavan in Patna and handed over his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Sunday.
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.
RJD, on Sunday put out a full-page advertisement in leading newspapers in the state, edging out the Janata Dal (United) supremo and projecting Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.
In the full-page advertisement, which only carried a magnified image of Tejashwi, the RJD thanked the deputy CM for several developmental initiatives ranging from giving over 4 lakh government jobs to enhancing the state's tourism potential.
In the Bihar Assembly of 243, the RJD has 79 MLAs; followed by the BJP at 78; JD(U) at 45, Congress at 19, the CPI (M-L) at 12, CPI(M) and CPI at 2 each, and the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular)'s at 4. Another two seats are with the AIMIM and an Independent.
(ANI)
