Apart from Nitish Kumar, other NDA candidates, including Upendra Kushwaha and BJP Chief Nitin Nabin, also filed their nominations for the Upper House.
Nitish Kumar, who has served as Bihar’s longest-tenured Chief Minister for over two decades, earlier announced that he would be heading to the Rajya Sabha and would file his nomination in the current election cycle.
The JDU leader has agreed to launch his only son, Nishant in politics, a development that led to jubilations in the JD(U). The 75-year old political leader assured that the new government that will be formed will have his full cooperation and guidance.
“From the very beginning of my parliamentary journey, there has been a desire in my heart to become a member of both Houses of the Bihar Legislature as well as both Houses of Parliament. In keeping with this aspiration, I seek to become a member of the Rajya Sabha in the elections being held this time,” Nitish Kumar wrote in a post on X.
Nitish Kumar’s announcement attracted reactions, with the opposition once again reiterating their allegations regarding BJP’s willingness to remove him from CM position.
Tejashwi Yadav, on Thursday launched a scathing attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar confirmed filing nomination for the Rajya Sabha seat, saying that his “hijack” allegation proved to be true. Speaking to ANI, Tejashwi Yadav accused the BJP of using “tricks” against Nitish Kumar, defying their election slogan ‘2025 se 30 phir se Nitish’.
He said, “Everyone knows that in the Bihar elections, the NDA had given this slogan ‘2025 se 30 phir se Nitish’. The BJP and NDA’s constituent parties know how the elections were conducted with the use of tricks, tantra-mantra, and the entire system in place. Even at that time, we had said that the BJP people had ‘hijacked’ Nitish Kumar and they won’t let him sit on the chair again. We had said that he won’t stay in the chair for more than six months.”
Further, he said that Nitish Kumar’s move to the Centre is against the sentiments of the people of Bihar.
“The BJP has a history of ruining whoever it has allied with. The BJP is an anti-OBC, anti-Dalit, and anti-tribal party. They (the BJP) don’t want a leader in Bihar who speaks for OBCs or Dalits; they want some ‘rubber stamp chief minister.’ This power change that’s happening is against the sentiments of the people.
People know the BJP’s tricks and character. We have also worked with Nitish Kumar, but most of the time we were in the opposition. On January 28, 2024, when they (JDU) left us and went away, we had said even then that the BJP would finish them off. We have full sympathy for them; for his service to Bihar, we also want to thank him,” Tejashwi Yadav added.
Speaking to reporters today, Tejashwi Yadav said, “I always said ‘Nitish ji ko ghoda toh chadaya hai dulha banake lekin phera kisi aur ke sath dila raha hai’. The BJP has completely hijacked Nitish Kumar. Nitish Kumar has said that he wants to go to the (Rajya Sabha) House. We have been saying this from the beginning that after the elections, the BJP people will not let Nitish Kumar remain in the post of Chief Minister. Today, that statement has come true.”
Tejashwi Yadav’s comment on Nitish Kumar’s nomination
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s decision to enter the Rajya Sabha was a “betrayal” of the people’s mandate. “The BJP has done a Maharashtra in Bihar,” he said.
“We have been saying from the very beginning that the BJP will not let Nitish Kumar remain the chief minister after the elections. This is exactly what has happened. This development is against the mandate of the people and amounts to a betrayal of it,” he said.
Alleging that the BJP had “hijacked” Kumar, Yadav said that was the reason the veteran leader was now moving to the Rajya Sabha.
“BJP is against OBCs and Dalits. They never want a leader from these communities to occupy the top post. They want a chief minister who will function like a rubber stamp for the top BJP leadership,” he alleged.
“I had said — ‘Nitish ji ko ghoda toh chadhaya hai dulha banake, lekin phera kisi aur ke saath dila raha hai’ (They made Nitish Kumar mount the horse like a groom, but are getting someone else to take the wedding vows),” he added.
With inputs from ANI
