Patna: The RJD on Friday took a swipe at CM Nitish Kumar, claiming his position within the NDA was exposed by the absence of top BJP leaders when he took the oath as a Rajya Sabha member in Delhi.RJD spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan said the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda at the oath-taking ceremony signalled a “weak Nitish Kumar” within the ruling alliance. “This was just the trailer. BJP will now take revenge for all the past decisions of Nitish Kumar, including the dinner invitation that he had once cancelled,” Gagan said, adding that the RJD would now chalk out a fresh strategy to take on the BJP.Another RJD spokesperson, Shakti Singh Yadav, asserted that the party’s fight was now solely against the BJP. “JD(U) is finished and is nowhere in the race. We have been fighting the BJP and its ideology and will continue to do so under the leadership of Tejashwi Prasad Yadav,” he said. Yadav claimed that people of Bihar felt betrayed by both the BJP and Nitish Kumar and were now placing their hopes on the RJD. “We are confident of forming the next govt under Tejashwi’s leadership,” he added.The JD(U), however, rejected the RJD’s claims and hit back strongly. Party spokesperson Anjum Ara said several senior NDA leaders were present during the ceremony and that Prime Minister Modi had also extended greetings to Nitish Kumar on X. “RJD has nothing to offer except such baseless and shameful remarks. The NDA alliance is based on principles and development, not revenge politics,” Ara said.She maintained that the JD(U) remained “strong and intact” within the NDA and that the Bihar govt would continue to focus on development under Nitish Kumar’s leadership. “Kumar is a symbol of development in Bihar, whereas RJD is remembered for bringing the tag of jungle raj to the state,” Ara added.
