Nitish Kumar Returns to Patna After Meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday expressed his commitment to remain in the NDA.
Talking to reporters at the Patna airport, Mr. Kumar spoke about his long association with the BJP and said that despite quitting twice earlier he has permanently returned and will remain with the alliance.
“I have already told you that I did “Idhar Udhar” (flip-flops) twice earlier but now I have returned. I will remain here (NDA)”, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said.
When asked about his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP President JP Nadda, Nitish Kumar said that the focus of the discussion was the development of the state.
Reports suggest that during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he also discussed the current political situation in Bihar. Mr. Kumar is to face the floor test in the state assembly on February 12.
Sources said that Mr. Kumar also discussed seat-sharing issues with the central leaders during their meeting.
There are reports that the BJP may offer 13 seats to the JD(U), three each to the Chirag Paswan and Pashupati Paras factions of the LJP, and two each to Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal (RLJD) and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awami Morcha (Secular).
The political temperature has been tense in the state ever since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dumped the RJD-Congress-led grand alliance and joined hands with the NDA in Bihar. Recently, Bihar assembly speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, who belongs to the RJD, raised a political pitch by refusing to step down from the post before the trust vote.
Several NDA legislators had moved a no-confidence proposal against Mr. Chaudhary after Nitish Kumar dumped the grand alliance on January 28.
According to Mr. Chaudhary, he is not aware of the no-confidence proposals by the NDA legislators against him and would chair the proceedings of the assembly as per the rules.
“I am not aware of the no-confidence proposals against me. As per the rules, I can remain on the chair for fourteen days. So I will come to the assembly as usual”, Bihar assembly speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary said.
Amid the political scenario in the state, the JD(U) on Thursday exuded confidence that “there is no trouble and the NDA will clear the floor test”.
The NDA (BJP, JD(U), and HAM) has the support of 128 MLAs whereas the grand alliance has 115 on their side.
